Glee Season 5 AU Rewrite
by hwerttytttt
Summary: A whole rewrite of Season 5 that will mainly be original episodes from E6 onwards. Only episodes 1,2 and 5 are identical to the storylines present in Glee S5. The main focus will be in Lima, Ohio so there won't be any NY stuff, or at least, minimal in this AU rewrite. Finn is still alive in this AU season :D and I'm adding some of favs from TGP such as Michellie.
1. 1) Love Love Love

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 1  
Love Love Love**

* * *

**Author's Comment:** This is just an AU of Glee, something like episode rewrites or whatever, most of the stories will be about the same, sometimes with difference here and there. And the focus is mainly only at Lima, Ohio. Skip Episode 1,2 and 5 if you want to just get to the original storylines, these 3 mainly follow those stories found in the Glee episodes already! 3

**Episode Storylines:**  
Artie and Kitty: The wake of their secret relationship  
Blaine: Proposal to Kurt Hummel

* * *

"Oh my god, we're here!" Tina screamed out as she jumped out of the bus, waving her arms in the air like a flapping chicken. Each and every New Direction member followed after her, joyously jumping and bouncing into the entrance of the Chetch Carnival.

"Don't look so glum, this was your idea" Kitty strolled past Artie, looking very unenthusiastic at the flashing neon signs of the carnival. Everything seemed way too fun in contrast to her snarky behavior.

" Well, winning Regionals is something to be proud of," Artie muttered as he wheeled beside her. Kitty watched him for awhile before slowing down to push his wheelchair. Artie turned behind, watching Finn and Mr. Schuester trudging out of the bus, Finn laughing at whatever mediocre joke Mr. Schue had told him . He looked ahead to see the other ten members of the Glee club being swallowed up by the crowd. Artie sighed, "might as well make the best of it."

"You wanted to come here for a reason," Kitty gave him a look, but quickly realised that all she could see was the top of his head, "what is it?"

Bumper cars of course, he had never rode one, and with his condition, not many people ever let him ride on them for god-knows why, but he never told anyone this before. But Kitty was someone he could trust, she did help him get into Brooklyn Film Academy. They pushed past the crowd, which naturally parted when they saw Artie come through. One perk of being a cripple, Artie scorned. As they moved past the vast game stations, Artie finally caught sight of what he finally wanted to do.

"A bumper car station?" Kitty asked. The retort in her voice clear as day. Artie opened his mouth to argue but Kitty had already began pushing him up the ramp and into the surprisingly short queue.

"You know," Kitty started, turning Artie around so that they could finally talk face to face, "I can't believe Mr. Schue gave us an assignment like three hours after Regionals, I expected us to get a break." She stared at Artie's puzzled look and understood that that was the norm. But of course, having gone through Sectionals with Finn instead, and well, lost, she wasn't too sure what to expect. A break would have been nice though. "And what the hell is with him making us do the Beatles? A band from the 40s with mushroom heads aren't exactly..."

"Woah woah woah, hold up there, woman," Artie, showing his disgusted face to everyone in sight, held his hand up high. He cocked his head to the left, mouth agape and stared at Kitty dead in the eye. "You haven't even heard any of their songs, have you?"

Without waiting for a reply, Artie scanned through his phone and played the first Beatles song he could find. Worst of all, he started singing along to it. The melody of Drive My Car hit Kitty's ears as she stared at him with complete shock.

"Artie, this isn't High School Musical, you can't just burst out singing in a public place!" She paused and looked around. Sure enough, people are staring. A whole lot of people actually. "Artie!"

But he didn't seem to care, he pumped his fist around, jerking around in his little wheel chair, and just then the clerk let them into a bumper car.

"I'm not helping you into that car until you stop singing."

Artie didn't stop singing, he seemed determine to make Kitty join in. Kitty rolled her eyes as she carried Artie into the seat and placed herself gently by his side. Artie continued singing as they drove around the lot, crashing and slamming into any car they saw. Soon, Kitty started to forget the embarrassment she had felt and found herself actually enjoying Artie's little stunt.

_Artie  
__Baby you can drive my car  
Yes I'm gonna be a star_

Soon, Kitty picked up the lyrics as they drove around in circles. Round and round and round as they laughed maniacally, sadistically trying to smash people into the walls of the lot.

_Artie and Kitty  
__I told a girl I can start right away  
And she said listen babe I got something to say  
I got no car and it's breaking my heart_

People around were staring, smiling. Some even hummed along to their tunes. Kitty looked into Arties gleeful face. And to her, his face was the brightest light there was in the carnival. His happiness and excitement seemed so important to her and it just made her happy too. And it never occurred to her how much being with him excited her.

_Artie and Kitty  
__But I've found a driver and that's a start__  
__Beep beep beep beep yeah  
Beep beep beep beep yeah_

Artie screamed out the last few words and threw his arms into the air, sending their bumper car spinning right into the wall. Their heads knocked together and all Kitty could do was burst out laughing. Artie gave her a dopey look, a playful one going "oops!", and she laughed again.

"Told you the Beatles were rad."

"No one uses that word anymore, wheels"

**Glee**

Blaine sat alone, fiddling a small red carpet box in his hands. Thinking, just thinking, staring off into the distance. Kurt's been the love of his life, and even though he knows that he had hurt Kurt, he was sure Kurt would say yes. The buzz on his phone woke him from his daydreams.

"From: Rachel  
He's going back tonight! OMG Tell me what happens k? I'm sorry I cant be  
there :( Love! 3"

Blaine sighs with relief as Tina slides next to him with a tray of food.

"They're out of to... Oh my god! What is that?"

She yanked the box away from Blaine and slowly opened it. Blaine could almost hear her jaw hit the ground. She looked at Blaine as if her heart was going to melt, her eyes wide and sparkling.

"It's no big deal."

"No big deal, are you kidding me?!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Blaine agreed that this was something to be excited by, but Tina was going over the edge. "When, when, when?! Why didn't I know about this?"

"It's tomorrow. No one knows yet, could you keep it down first please." Tina looked around, turning red. But that didn't decrease her level of enthusiasm. "I'm planning to do it at Dalton"

And there goes Tina's enthusiasm. "What?" Equally loud, but now in a totally different tone of voice. "You're doing it at Dalton? Dalton Academy, with those wicked Warblers?"

"Tina, they're my friends." Blaine, still trying to contain his patience. He really wants to tell Tina to pipe down because half the canteen could probably hear her.

"Warblers?" Sugar shrieked as she took a seat opposite Tina. "What about them?"

"Blaine's thinking of proposing to Kurt at Dalton," Tina still unable to hide her sense of betrayal and shock.

"You're proposing to Kurt?" Sugar's cookie fell out of her mouth as it opened wide with surprise. Great, now that's one more person knowing it ahead of schedule, Blaine thought, and what is so shocking about it? "I hope it doesn't end up the same way as Finn and Rachel's one did though, that was horrible," Sugar stated, too matter-of-fact-ly for anyone's good. She looked up to see Blaine and Tina's dark faces and shrugged it off. "Sorry,"

"Asperger's" they all said at once, with Blaine and Tina turning away to hide their faces.

**Glee**

"Look, all I'm saying is that we keep what happened at the carnival to ourselves, Artie, that's no big deal," Kitty said in a hushed voice. She clearly did not want anyone to hear it, even though they were in an empty classroom with the doors shut tight. People may actually have dirty thoughts about what the two of them were doing in there alone.

"I really like you, it's just that Bree and the others aren't gonna like this one bit."

"Who's Bree?" Artie's very confused. One day, they were having the time of their life, and the next, Kitty wants to start a secret relationship. A relationship with Kitty was no problem, Artie really liked her. But why secret?

"She's a bitch. Literally a bitch." Kitty heaved a heavy sigh and plopped down onto a chair. "I really like you, Artie. And that's really saying something because I'll never ever say that out loud. And I want this to work."

"So we're doing this in secret because of some bitch." Emphasising bitch so much just to show Kitty how ridiculous this was.

"It's not just about her, it's about my reputation. Everyone expects me to date a jock or one of those brainless rascals." Kitty looked at Artie and he could swear that all he could see was sadly. She spun around, digging through her bag before taking out a page of song lyrics. "You have to hide your love away sometimes, right?"

**Glee**

_Artie__  
Here I stand head in hand  
Turn my face to the wall  
If she's gone I can't go on  
Feeling two-foot small_

He stole a glimpse at Kitty, who was just silently watching the floor, waiting for her cue to sing.

_Kitty__  
Everywhere people stare  
Each and every day  
I can see them laugh at me  
And I hear them say_

Finally she looks back at Artie, her eyes filled with tears. Maybe she regretted her decision, Artie thought. Secret relationships are just like prison. No freedom.

_Artie and Kitty  
__How could she say to me  
Love will find a way  
Gather round all you clowns  
Let me hear you say  
Hey you've got to hide your love away  
Hey you've got to hide your love away_

Artie reached out his hand to touch Kitty but she does not even give it a second look. She turned back and continued looking to the ground, singing the words, as if the lyrics were somewhere embedded onto the tiles of the choir room. Artie shifts his focus away from her as the words kept pouring out of his mouth. Every lyric of the song, he could relate to. Kitty chose a hell of a song.

After they were done, the only sound was the applause from Mr Schue. Apparently, he's the only one who doesn't know what the heck was going on. Artie looked up to see everyone's sympathetic faces staring into his soul. Kitty's too of course. But then Artie looked at Finn, whose face had turned hard as metal. Finn probably knew what Artie was going through, or well, Kitty more specifically. But he chose to ruin his reputation by dating Rachel anyway. Why can't Kitty be like him, Artie thought.

"Because that'll be selfish," a voice whispered into Artie's ear. He jumped a little in his seat, metaphorically, of course. And stared at Tina who had magically appeared by his side, pushing his to the seating area of the choir room. Had she read his mind, or did he say his thoughts out? Artie guess he'll never know, but he sure as hell would not have wanted Kitty to hear him say that out loud. "Blaine's got an announcement."

Tina took a seat beside Artie as Blaine took centre stage. His hands holding a little red box. Every Glee club member craning their necks to get a peek of it. Blaine's heart pumped faster and faster as he opened the box to reveal a silver encrusted ring with a ruby on top. Kurt's favourite gem.

"I'm going to ask Kurt to marry me," Blaine said.

The whole choir room erupted into applause and cheer. Marley covered her mouth and screamed, tugging at Jake's arm. Tina and Sam ran up to Blaine, hugging him and congratulating him. Mr Schue was clapping his hand together. But on one end of the choir room, Ryder just looked incredibly confused, "Who's Kurt?".

But Finn just remained quiet, sitting on the chair and well, not talking at all. Until he looked up at Blaine and cut everybody's excitement with his booming voice. "What?" He was clearly not excited by the news. He seemed angry actually. That was a Finn even Tina and Artie barely ever saw.

Mr Schue opened his mouth to speak but Finn just rushed up to Blaine. Tina and Sam scooted away, not wanting to be part of this banter. Blaine had made plans to propose to Kurt, but never even stopped to tell Kurt's brother about it.

"You're not even with him anymore." Finn's cold eye stare sending chills down the intimidated Blaine.

"I know, but"

"He's with someone else now." Finn then walked out of the choir room, leaving Blaine to just stare at the air in complete shock. Scary Finn was not something he had ever seen. Or something he would want to see again. But if Finn reacted that way, what would Kurt do if he proposed?

**Glee**

"Cut Finn some slack, he's just going through a hard time," Tina said, walking with Blaine, who was dressed sharply in a rented tuxedo. She didn't look too bad herself, in a light pink dress which spreads out like flower petals at the ends. "You did to Kurt what Rachel did to him, I don't think he's really forgiven Rachel for that whole Brody thing yet, so..."

"Please don't ever mention Eli," and Tina could see the guilt on his face. But what's done is done, no matter how much Blaine wanted to undo Eli, he couldn't. All he could do now is hope that Kurt had forgiven him and they had moved on from that as a couple.

Finn was right, still. Kurt has been dating Adam in NYADA. Rachel has told him that they weren't exclusive but if Kurt really liked Adam... No, he can't think like that anymore. Everything goes his way most of the time anyway. And Kurt loves him. He'll say yes.

"He's coming, he's coming!" Unique screamed as she edged away from the door and moved into position. The 11 Glee club members, excluding Sugar who had the excuse of "I don't care about some stupid proposal", stood in a curved line, surrounding the hall of Dalton Academy. Blaine stood in the middle, with the ring in his right pocket, ready to be presented.

"Cue music," Blaine whispered into Sam's ear.

The Warblers stationed at the door nodded and opened the door. Kurt, Burt and Carol walked through the door. Finn wasn't with them. Kurt's stunned expression was beyond words as the Warblers and the New Directions started singing to the music playing through the PA system.

_New Directions and Warblers_  
_Love, love, love  
Love, love, love  
Love, love, love_

Blaine took Kurt's hand in his and they began waltzing down the hallways. Every inch of the place decorated with ruby and golden banners and ribbons. Rose petals all over the floor and Polaroid pictures of the two of them together scattered among the red patches.

_Blaine__  
No one you can save that can't be saved  
Nothing you can do, but you can learn  
How to be you in time  
It's easy_

Blaine stole glimpses at Kurt's both shocked and delighted face, trying to make out what he's thinking. They continued moving from hallway to hallway, each decorated with different colours. Everyone else followed closely behind, beautifully harmonising to Blaine's songs. As they walked through the rainbow wonderland of Kurt's dreams, Kurt's smile was plastered onto his face. This was the most romantic anyone had ever done for him.

_Blaine__  
All you need is love  
All you need is love  
All you need is love, love  
Love is all you need_

Just as they hit the Warbler's room, Confetti started falling out of nowhere. Decorating the place like indoor snow. Kurt wailed in delight as he walked around the room, soaking in the atmosphere. Blaine swallowed hard as he finished his song and got down on one knee. Kurt turned around and saw his former boyfriend kneeling in front of him. But all he could see was a ring in his hands.

"Blaine..." There was sadness in his voice. Excitement too, but more of the former.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," moment of truth, "will you marry me?"

Kurt covered his mouth and let a sound only Blaine recognised was excitement. Everyone else was staring, touched beyond means. Kitty looked at Artie, who had his two hands clutching his jaw in suspense. She gingerly slid her hand into his and looked at him. Artie smiled back, clutching her hand close and entangling their fingers together, placing them near his heart. They looked back at Kurt, who was still standing there in shock. Blaine beamed with joy as he got up, sliding the ring out of the box

Kurt dropped his hands as Blaine rose. Instead of the elated expression Blaine had expected, Kurt gave him a sorrowful one. Kurt reached out touched Blaine's hands, pushing the ring back into the box.

"No."

* * *

**Author's comments:** Hope you liked it. If you actually bothered reading the whole thing and liked it, do leave a review, good or bad. I'm not expecting many, but nonetheless I'll just continue writing. Season 5 of Glee was disappointing in some aspects but some stories were great, I'm just planning to rewrite all 22 episodes, expanding the Ohio arc to that long, and yes, Finn will be alive 3 in a perfect world.

**Edit:** Also I literally just found out (years later) that I used their/they're wrongly twice. I wanna kill myself now since I always hated people who do that XD

**Songs:  
**Drive My Car by The Beatles sung by Artie Abrams and Kitty Wilde  
Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles sung by Artie Abrams and Kitty Wilde  
All You Need Is Love by The Beatles sung by Blaine Anderson


	2. 2) Tina in the Sky with Diamonds

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 2  
Tina in the Sky with Diamonds**

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Plotwise, nothing changes much, although it really only focused on Tina's arc. Because I personally think that was an amazing story for Tina, it really made Glee Club seem like a family too, during Hey Jude and that was awesome. Next episode rewrite will definitely differ from Glee's story. It'll be focused on Finn but nothing about death.

**Episode Storylines:**  
Tina: After years of insecurity, Tina finally dares to run for Prom Queen and is determined to win  
Kitty: Nominated alongside Tina for Prom Queen, she must now choose where her loyalty lies

* * *

_Sam__  
Something in the way she knows  
And all I have to do is think of her  
Something in the things she shows me  
I don't want to leave her now  
You know I believe and how_

"Alright, Sam!" Finn jumped out of his seat and smacked Sam on the back. Sam smiled sheepishly as he walked back to his seat.

"Well, that song's going to give me nightmares about Sam's mouth," Kitty mocked, contorting her face in the most disturbing manner ever.

"Kitty, don't be rude," Mr. Schue said, staring straight at the blonde cheerleader.

"Did you see the way his mouth moved, especially during his whole 'slow-mo' impression, I mean what the heck is that?"

"Don't say that, that was a beautiful song dedicated to me," Tina asserted.

Sam rocked uncomfortably in his seat. "Erm, Tina, that song wasn't for you."

"What?" She jumped out of her seat, so violently, causing the chair behind her to topple over. "But you agreed to go with me to Prom."

"Yeah, but that new nurse girl's kind of hot," Sam didn't even need to look around to see everyone's faces of disbelief. No one ever just says that to a girl. Tina's face was even redder than usual. "Not saying you're not hot, it's just Penny's a whole lot hotter, ya know?" But that didn't seem to do any good, Tina's eyes grew even wider as if she was going to explode. A ticking-time bomb.

Luckily for him, Dottie came running into the choir room screaming for Tina.

"What is it Dottie?!" Tina screamed out in annoyance. Way too loud that Unique dropped her lip-stick and Mr Schue snapped his marker into two. And Sam's just happy that shout wasn't directed in his direction.

"Erm," Dottie started, but after seeing Tina's impatience, quickly rambled on, "nomination for Prom Queen, Aimee Ryan, Jordon Stern, Kitty Wilde, Tina-C... you."

Tina spun round to face the Glee club, her face lit up like a beacon in the sea, in very deep contrast to her expression before. She covers her mouth as she bends down in excitement, silently screaming into her palms. Everyone claps for her as Kitty wondered in silence. "But I'm a sophomore," she murmured to Joe.

Joe turned to her, "Prom here is for everybody. King and Queen can go to freshmen too."

"Weird school."

"Amen."

"Kitty," Tina, finally snapping out of her excitement, walked towards Kitty with an accusing finger, "you're nominated too right?"

"Get that finger away from me, Chang-Chang. And yes, I am," she studied Tina's disappointed demeanour and continued, smiling at Tina, "but I'm still a sophomore, you have my one hundred percent support."

After hearing that, Tina burst into a smile, and surveyed the members in front of her. But then it struck her, "So, who's taking me to Prom?" Everyone fell silent. She looked over to Sam but quickly remembered about his stunning betrayal and turned her attention to the other guys instead.

"I'm going with Unique," Ryder pointed out.

"An apology for overreacting to the whole cat-fishing thing." A comment that made Ryder roll his eyes at Unique. Unsurprisingly, that was still a topic to stay away from. "I'll quit Glee club, Mr. Schue," chimed Unique, impersonating Ryder the best she can.

"I'm going, slash not going with Kitty," mused Artie, who earned a slap on the shoulder from Kitty for that.

"I got Bible study that night," Joe croaked in his seat, "I'm not going at all."

"And Jake's taking me," Marley said, as Jake leaned in for a kiss.

Tina had to look away just to avoid the awkwardness at looking at them. But deep inside her she could feel a bit of jealousy. She looked around to Blaine, who was still leaning on the piano, head down onto the keys. He hasn't spoken in days after Kurt rejected him. Tina sighed and took another glance at the options she had left. She had none in the Glee club anymore, unless...

"Finn!"

"Huh?" Finn gulped. He hadn't been listening since the start of Tina's rambles about Prom since he really couldn't care less about girlish fantasies, but now he thought he was in trouble. "Wait, what?"

"Tina, he's not even a student anymore, and he's not a teacher, I'm not sure he can go to the Prom." Tina looked right at Mr. Schue with annoyance. Clearly, he had not been caught up with New Direction's affairs this year.

"If Santana can come back for our school production of Grease," stressing on school so much to make Finn feel really guilty, "Finn can come for Prom."

Finn opened his mouth to protest but just then the bell rang and Tina was halfway out the door.

"What the hell just happened?"

"You've got a new date," Artie chuckled as he wheeled past.

**Glee**

Kitty walked silently through the halls McKinley high school, watching as the crowd edge away from her path. She amuses herself this way, the power she has in this school. She turned to her locker, sending a couple who was making out in front of it away. To the depths of hell, hopefully, she thought. Jealous that others don't have to hide their relationships in front of everyone else, she started throwing all her books into her locker. It was not until she closed it that she realised a poster of her pasted on her locker door.

"Kitty-Kitty Prom Prom" Below that was a picture of her head photo-shopped onto Olivia Munn.

"Hope you liked your posters, Kitty, the Cheerios worked really hard on them."

Kitty turned around to find herself staring straight into Bree's grinning face.

"What are you doing?"

" I was so psyched that a fellow Cheerio was nominated for Prom Queen. And then I heard that you weren't going to campaign for it, and instead you were throwing your support to that Asian girl from Glee Club because you thought it was 'her turn'. Now, if that's true, you might want to tie yourself down, because this is gonna be a rough ride. I just wanted to remind you that a Cheerio has not won Prom Queen for several years now. We've had Prom Queens from Glee Club, including the Jewish girl and a gay dude. And if we're not careful, I swear to God we're gonna have a black transsexual named Unique as Prom Queen before we have a Cheerio as Prom Queen.  
Now, I know you're thinking to yourself: But  
O.  
M.  
G.  
Bree, I love the Asian girl from Glee Club. Well, punch yourself in the face so I don't have to."

"Don't talk to Kitty like that!" Artie wheeled in, coming in between Kitty and the talking machine gun.

"Who the hell is this? You have a cripple for a boyfriend, Kitty?"

"He's just a friend, and Bree, I appreciate the help, but I'm not going to campaign." From the corner of her eye, she could see Artie die a little inside. But there was nothing she could do. Bree was like the alpha bitch now, and in the everyone's eyes, she'll always be second to Bree in that category. Whore, thought Kitty, what I'd do to stick a pencil up her overly big ears.

"You have 51 weeks out of the year to love your sisters from Glee Club, and this week is not, I repeat, not one of them. This week is about winning Prom Queen for the Cheerios, and that's not gonna happen if you're off campaigning for Kimchi Cohen-Barf or whoever."

"Bree,"

"Are you an idiot, Kitty? That's not a rhetorical question. I literally want you to tell me if you're mentally slow, so I can be sure you're not nominated for future prom courts."

"Kitty!" Tina rushed to Kitty's side holding up a Kitty-Kitty Prom-Prom poster. "This is unbelievable."

"Unbelievable," echoed Dottie, following up behind Tina, looking around at the posters, plastered on the school lockers.

Bree moved in closer to Kitty, whispering in her ear, "Let's each take an Asian, shall we? Dottie!" Suddenly more excited than anything else, " let's talk for awhile, shall we?"

"You... you know my name?" gasped Dottie, flustered for words as she gingerly followed Bree away.

"I thought you said you weren't campaigning!" Tina's rage was undeniable, but her doubt was clear as day. No way Kitty would have photoshopped herself onto someone else. She's too proud for that.

"Look, Tina, this isn't made by me."

"Then, who?"

"Bree did it," Artie said, still looking sad as ever.

"I didn't lie when I said I'm behind you hundred percent," assured Kitty, "this is your senior year, I'm not going to stand in your way."

Tina must have sensed the sincerity in Kitty's voice as all she did was take a step back and chuckle. Her uptight and apprehensive behaviour gone with the wind. She had never seen Kitty so nice before. It's an amazing transformation from the Kitty they first met. She opened her arms for a hug and Kitty jumped into her arms.

"Let's sing a song together, okay? Beatles week." Kitty nodded.

**Glee**

_Tina  
__You say you want a revolution  
Well, you know  
We all want to __change the world_

_Kitty  
__You tell me that it's evolution  
Well, you know  
We all want to change the world_

Tina and Kitty pranced around the choir room, rocking on the tune of Revolution while every watches with awe.

_Tina__**  
**__You ask me for a contribution  
Well, you know  
We're doing what we can_

The next thing they knew, the whole Glee club was pasting up posters to support Tina Cohen-Chang. Kitty saw the removal of every Kitty Kitty Prom Prom poster herself, tearing each one of them down with howling delight.

"Wow, the school's really littered with your face," Finn commented, putting an arm around Tina.

Tina leaned her head onto Finn's chest. God, he's tall. "You don't have to go with me, you know. I was kind of pushy."

"Yeah, you reminded me of Rachel for a while."

Tina immediately backed away, distancing herself from Finn. "Oh, god no."

Chuckling, Finn said, "Don't worry, I'll go with you. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

**Glee**

Pushing past everyone standing in her way, Tina crashed through the gym door, soaking wet and horribly embarrassed. Her one amazing night ruined. Red dye covered her whole body, ice stuck in uncomfortable places. This was the worst day of her life. She dragged herself into the choir room, leaving behind a trial of red. Tina slumped into a chair, hitting the Prom Queen's tiara off her head so violently it landed halfway across the room.

"Tina!" Finn walked into the room, the rest of New Directions behind him.

"Leave. Me. Alone." Tina struggled for words under her heavy chocking. Tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes as she tried to make them go away. But her whole body was soaked red and she couldn't do anything to get the tears out of her eyes.

"We need to get you out of those wet clothes and into something dry."

"Just leave me like this!" Tina raised her voice, drowning out the sobs coming out from her own mouth. But every word was a struggle with her throat clenched shut, "I swear, I just thought for one lousy night of my life, I could be that girl."

Tina carelessly stood up, ploughed through the Glee club and headed for the door. "But who am I kidding? I'm not that girl, and I will never be that girl!"

Sam, who was at the back of the pack, grabbed her arm. "Tina, where are you going?"

"I'm going home, Sam!" Almost crying out the words like a river. Tears started streaming down her face again, mixing with the red dye to turn her whole face into a waterfall.

Sam loosened his grip on Tina and Tina broke free. She couldn't stand the looks of pity on her friend's face, or the hysterical laughter from everyone in the gym at her expense. Before she even took a step, however, another hand grabbed her shoulder.

"This is your prom, Queen T," Blaine said, the first words he ever spoke in a week. "From what I can see you have two choices, and whichever one you pick, we will be supportive."

"Blaine..."

"We can either drive you home, or we can clean you up, and you can go back out there and own that prom." Blaine had both arms on her shoulders, shaking her, as if to wake her up from a horrible nightmare.

"You can wear my dress." Kitty offered, stepping out towards Tina.

"Or Mine." Marley and Unique stated together.

"You can have mine too," Sugar took a step towards Tina, "But I'd rather you take Kitty's."

Tina looked at them and couldn't shake off her happiness. She had never knew that they cared for her that much. But they were family after all.

As the girls took Tina to the back of the room to clean her up and get her changed, Blaine walked to wards the piano.

"What are you doing?" Ryder asked, eyeing Blaine suspiciously.

"Tina's favourite Beatles song." He looked up to give Ryder a sad smile. And then he laid his fingers on the piano and sung.

_Blaine  
__Hey Jude__, don't make it bad  
Take a sad song and make it better  
Remember to let her into your __heart__  
Then you can start to make it better_

The members of New Directions stared at Blaine for a moment, before joining in.

_Blaine and Kitty  
__Hey Jude, don't be afraid  
You were made to go out and get her  
The minute you let her under your skin  
Then you begin to make it better_

_Finn  
__And anytime you feel the pain  
Hey Jude, refrain  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders_

Tina smiled as she got up, clean and dry. She turned around to see Kitty holding up her pink dress.

"Wear it, you'll look beautiful."

Tina hugged Kitty, squeezing her tight.

"Your dress is still wet."

"Sorry."

Tina wiped the tears from her eyes and changed out of her dress, putting on Kitty's light fluffy pink one. The New Directions followed her out the door, staying behind her as she walked back to the gym, all of them still humming and singing along to the tune of her favourite song.

_Tina and Sam  
__So let it out and let it in,  
Hey Jude, begin  
You're waiting for someone to perform with  
And don't you know that it's just you,  
Hey Jude, you'll do  
The movement you need is on your shoulder_

Blaine and Sam slammed the door open, giving way to Tina. Everyone parted to let her through to the stage, staring at the no-dry her. No red dye visible. Looking on as the New Directions cheered on behind her, screaming out the rest of the lyrics of Hey Jude as she climbed up the steps and onto the stage. As New Directions finished their song, the whole gym fell silent.

Tina slowly picked up the bucket and lifted it high into the air. "I'm Tina-Cohen Chang, and I accept your crown! Long live Prom!"

With that the music blasted back on and everyone cheered. Everyone except Bree, who just walked away, unenthusiastically clapping her hands.

**Glee**

_Tina  
__When I find myself in times of trouble  
Mother Mary comes to me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be_

_Kitty  
__And in my hour of darkness  
She is standing right in front of me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be_

_Tina and Artie  
__Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be_

The whole Glee Club walked onto stage, except Joe who was at Bible Study, signing melodiously to the song, swaying side to side, smiling and giggling at each other. Mr. Schue and Finn watched from the seats of the auditorium, with pride on their face.

_Artie  
__Whisper words of wisdom  
Let it be, hee!_

* * *

**Songs:**  
Something by The Beatles sung by Sam  
Revolution by The Beatles sung by Tina and Kitty  
Hey Jude by The Beatles sung by Blaine, Sam, Finn, Tina and Kitty  
Let It Be by The Beatles sung by Tina, Kitty and Artie


	3. 3) The Quaterback

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 3  
The Quaterback**

* * *

**Storylines:**  
Finn: After hearing about Mr. Schue's decision to leave the Glee Club in his hands permanently, Finn doubts that he is up for the task  
Kurt: Kurt struggles to find a solution to his complicated relationship with Blaine

* * *

Finn slipped out from between the blanket and the sheets and sat by the side of his bed. Just last night Mr. Schue had given him an offer he couldn't refuse, or rather, too afraid to refuse. He's coached the New Directions before. And in that short time he did, they suffered their first lost at Sectionals. It wasn't his fault, everyone had told him, but if he had noticed Marley's increasingly quiet attitude and tried to solve the problem, then they wouldn't have failed. But they did fail, and he's afraid that with his leadership, they'll fail again.

Finn pushed himself off the bed, took his shirt off the hook and slipped it on. He opened the door and walked towards the bathroom. He picked up his toothbrush and began to brush his teeth.

"So, you're leaving too?"

Finn chocked and spit out, splattering toothpaste all over the mirror. He looked into the reflection at Kurt.

"You promised you won't do that anymore."

Kurt folded his arms and hugged them tight into his chest. "So, are you leaving?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, back to college," Finn turned around, "Why would that surprise you, I only came back home for you." Finn brushed past Kurt and downstairs to the kitchen.

"I don't need company, Finn. I've lived here my whole life."

"Well, Mum and Dad are gone, have to take care of the house too." Finn poured cornflakes into a bowl and pushed it towards Kurt. "You look like a mess."

Kurt dragged a chair towards him and sat down, swiping the bowl of the table. "You know why. Pass the milk."

Finn grabbed a chair to sit down, opposite of Kurt, who had began munching slowly as he placed a spoon full of cereal into his mouth. "I have a confession," Finn looked up and waited until Kurt had achieved eye contact, "I kinda told Blaine off when he told us he was gonna... you know."

"So, you meeting them at BreadStix?" Kurt said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, everyone's going right?" Finn stared at Kurt's downcast head, feeling guilty about his attempt for forgiveness.

"Brittany's stuck at MIT, that's all I know." Kurt mumbled, throwing his bowl into the sink. "Everyone else should be there."

Finn stared on as Kurt stood by the sink, hands grabbing the edge of the table, seemingly starring into an abyss.

"I should get to McKinley," Finn got up and waited for a response.

"You should," Kurt said, after a long pause.

**Glee**

"Finn, I wanted to talk to you," Mr. Schuester grabbed Finn and pulled him into the auditorium.

"What?" Finn glanced at his watch.

"Don't worry, Glee doesn't start until a half hour," Mr. Schue walked down the steps, towards the stage. "I just wanted to ask you about my offer."

Finn didn't move a step. He looked down at the files he had, files full of song lyrics and sheet music.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can do this, Mr. Schue."

Mr. Schuester paused and look at Finn. His best student has once again let himself down due to self-doubt. He had to be honest, he was a little let down. He walked back up the stairs and placed a hand on Finn.

"There's no one better qualified." Saying that, he rushed back down the stairs. "You inspire them, Finn. They truly enjoyed you being their teacher."

"I've only started learning to be a teacher," Finn said, following Mr. Schue.

"And you were an amazing one before you even started."

"Yeah, but..."

"You have improved so much over the years, Finn. Guide them into your footsteps and you will not have any problems."

Mr. Schuester looked back up to Finn, his expression still unconvinced.

"You remember when I first started teaching Glee? I lead performances with all of you in the choir room."

"Yeah, all your rapping," Finn said, slowly starting to understand Mr. Schuester's point.

"Do the same for them."

"Rapping? I can't rap."

"It doesn't have to be rapping," Mr. Schuester finding himself way too patient for his own liking, he's always like this around his students, not so with adults. "Just, anything you are comfortable with."

Finn fumbled through his file, "Like this song!" he passed a piece of paper to Mr. Schue, smiling.

Mr. Schuester looked at it and smiled. "Sing it!"

"What?"

"Go on, inspire me."

"Okay..." Finn grabbed back the piece of paper and walked towards the stage. He looked down at the lyrics for a while and turned back up to look at Mr. Schue. "Do you have music?"

"There's always YouTube." Mr. Schue plugged his phone into an X-Mini speaker and waited. The music blasted throughout the auditorium and he stretched an arm out towards Finn, signaling for him to begin.

_Finn  
__We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own_

_We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone_

Finn feels the lyrics taking effect as he thinks of the best thing to connect the lyrics with. Unexpectedly, but kind of expected, he thought of Rachel. The time they sent together. The good times they had. And the bad.

_Finn__  
All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes  
They're all I can see_

Mr. Schuester stared on at Finn, listening to the words, filled with emotions and he just knew that Finn was right for the job. His singing has improved so much and now, with emotion set in it, he was his best.

_Finn__  
If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world?_

Mr. Schue stood up and clapped, laughing as Finn smiled at him.

"Told you you could do it."

**Glee**

"Oh, you are not gonna like that," Mercedes wailed, laughing at the top of her lungs. Everyone was too. It's been so long since the original New Directions had gathered to just, sit down and chat.

"Ok, ok, but how..." Mike Chang started.

"Quinn!" Rachel jumped up and rushed to the door, smothering Quinn with a hug just as she walked into BreadStix.

"Hey sista," Mercedes grabbed Quinn by the elbow and sat her down on one of the cushion seat. Now everyone was there, except Brittany, who was still stuck in MIT.

"So, what's going on with you people?"

"Wow, Quinn starting to take an interest in others," Santana laughed, "When the hell did that happen?"

"Come on Santana, be nice." Tina, obviously still bitter, and highly jealous of Santana, piped up. Santana had overshadowed her many a time in Glee Club. And she won't dare to admit that it has made her resent Santana a lot. A whole lot.

Puck raised his glass and announced, "To the new head of New Directions."

Everyone raised theirs, smiling towards Finn, except Quinn who had no idea what was going on. Artie, who was sitting beside her, had to fill her in, before she giggled and lifted her cup up as well.

They toasted and gulped down their drinks, praising Finn on his new job.

"It's no big deal, guys, really," Finn said, blushing with embarrassment over the attention he got.

"Speaking of big deals, how's the new engagement, Kurt?" Quinn sounded way too excited for her own good. Kurt looked at her in shock and sunk back into his seat, his excitement for Finn washed away in an instant.

"Yeah, how'd Blaine propose?" Mike eagerly sat up, demanding an answer.

But everyone else at the table was silent. Everybody already knew about the situation, except Quinn and Mike apparently. Quinn looked around in confusion, "What's wrong?" Obviously, it never occurred to her that Kurt had said no. To her knowledge, their nasty break-up in New York had never happened. Same goes for Mike.

Artie leaned in to whisper into Quinn's ear while Mercedes caught Mike up to speed. The looks of guilt hit their faces immediately and Mike slouched to sip his drink, trying to avoid the awkwardness.

"In other news!" Puck chimed, breaking the eerie tension between the group. "Finn went on a date with some new chick in McKinley."

"What?" Mike spat his drink out, leaving splats of pink lying across the table.

"To Prom," Puck confidently said, happy that he managed to change the subject so successfully.

Finn, on the other hand, wasn't too ecstatic about the change in subject.

"How the hell did I not know about this?" Santana exclaimed, "Oh, you've gots to tell us."

"It's got to be that Kitty girl, right? She's H. O. T. Hot."

"Puck, just because you dated her, doesn't mean Finn would," Quinn said, tapping on Puck's hand.

"You dated that vixen?" Santana, once again, louder than ever.

"Not Kitty!" Finn shouted, just to calm everyone down.

He then noticed that Rachel was being very quiet. As quiet as Kurt had been the entirely conversation.

Seeing that interrogating Finn would get them nowhere, Santana turned to Tina and Artie. "Little spies, what has you got for us?" She leaned back on the cushion seat and crossed her arms, acting like a little miss detective herself.

Tina could feel the blood rising to her head. She had nothing to say at all.

"Well," Artie said, but was quickly silenced by an anxious Tina. Tina had already seen Rachel's expression and really did not want to get into anymore drama.

Santana leaned onto the table and pointed a finger at Tina. Through squinting eyes, she stared into Tina's soul. And all Tina could do was sit there, petrified.

"Santana, what are you doing?" Quinn asked.

Suddenly, Santana just jumped up from her seat, narrowly knocking down her glass of diet coke. "Oh my god, it's Frankenstein and Asian Berry! This is disgusting!" She threw her napkin onto the table and slipped past Rachel to head to the bathroom. "I'm gonna barf. It's gonna take a while, because this is extremely disgusting."

The whole table had erupted into shock, questioning Finn and Tina with their might.

"Did you sleep with her?" Puck asked, a bit too eagerly for Finn's comfort.

"What? No!" Finn pushed Puck away, disgusted at the thought.

Finally, after a whole lot of commotion, Tina shouted,

"It was just a date to the Prom, shut the hell up!"

Everyone piped down and looked between Finn and Tina. The whole situation at the table just became way more awkward.

"Woah, what's this quiet, what the hell happened?" Santana pushed past Rachel again to take her seat back, looking back at the Finn and Tina.

"Let's sing a song." Puck said, out of the blue. It's not like him to ever suggest anything like that, but it probably is just the only way he could think of to ease the tension. Again.

"We're in a restaurant," Mercedes asserted, questioning Puck's state of mind.

Mike turned around and looked at the whole restaurant. "It's near closing time anyway. No one around. Why not?"

"You just miss singing don't you?" Quinn said as she looked through Puck's iPod.

"I think we've sung enough for a lifetime," Artie joked, earning him laughs from everyone at the table, including Kurt and Rachel.

"No, let's do it," Rachel said, still looking from Finn to Tina continuously, "we haven't sung together in years."

Quinn placed the iPod on the middle of the table and pressed play. And soon, BreadStix was filled with harmonious voices.

_Rachel  
__Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_

_Santana__  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan_

_Mercedes__  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_

_Quinn__  
__How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?_

_Puck__  
In truths that she learned_

_Puck and Kurt__  
Or in times that he cried_

_Puck and Finn__  
In bridges he burned_

_Finn and Tina__  
Or the way that she died_

The ten members of the New Directions sang together and laughed. It's been a year since they felt the close bond of music, since they felt like a family.

_Mike, Artie and Santana  
__It's time now  
To sing out  
Though the story never ends_

_Everyone  
__Let's celebrate  
Remember a year in the life of friends_

**Glee**

Kurt walked about his room silently. Picking up everything he had unpacked a week ago. A week isn't that long. When he came back to visit, he had thought that a week was too short. Now, he see he was wrong. It was too long.

"Just packing and leaving?" Finn appeared learning on Kurt's doorway.

"Well, you're heading back to your dorm in college too," Kurt muttered, still sore about the whole Blaine incident, "I saw your packed bags."

"I'm not leaving till Wednesday."

"Say hi to Dad and Mum for me then." Kurt zipped up his luggage and rolled it out of the room, accompanied by Finn.

"The rest of us are going back to McKinley tomorrow."

"I'm not going, Finn."

Finn tried to hide his disappointment. Seeing his brother like this tore him to pieces. But there was nothing he could do. He had tried to stop Blaine from doing it, but obviously Blaine was too over his head. And now Kurt's suffering.

"Have fun."

"You're going back by yourself?"

"Rachel's coming too. She had Funny Girl rehearsals you know." Kurt said, no emotion in his voice at all. He just sounded like a dull robot.

"Yeah, right."

Finn slotted his hands into his pocket and watched Kurt move out the door. Kurt carried his luggage down onto the street and waved goodbye to Finn.

"Congratulations, by the way."

Finn looked at his brother for a good long while, thinking of something to say to comfort him. But he knew nothing would.

"Thanks," Finn said, and closed the door.

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Next episode will be an original episode featuring a Sugar and Joe storyline! Since they didn't appear at all in S5, and disappeared without a trace, I just felt that they needed something.

**Important News!: **I made a nice edit on Seasons Of Love, inspired by what I wrote on here. This version has 10 voices, which are all the original New Directions but Artie and Matt (Artie never sang the song unfortunately).  
Name of video: Glee Cast - Seasons Of Love Combination (Mash up Edit Version)  
Link: **you :D tu. :D be****/arJTSzzEx5M **(get rid of the smilies, leave the full-stop)

**Songs:  
**Chasing Cars by Snow Petrol sung by Finn  
Seasons Of Love by Cast of Rent sung by Rachel, Finn, Artie, Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, Quinn, Puck, Santana and Mike


	4. 4) The Important Question

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 4  
The Important Question**

* * *

**Storylines:**  
Sugar and Joe: Sugar thinks about leaving Glee Club while Joe finds a way to convince her to stay  
Finn and Tina: After being referred to as a couple by some of their friends, Finn and Tina try to find out what their relationship really is.

* * *

_Blaine and Marley__  
__Take me home tonight__  
I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light  
Take me home tonight  
Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang_

_Jake and Marley__  
__Be my little baby__  
Be my little baby_

_Blaine__  
Just like Ronnie sang  
I said just like Ronnie sang_

_Santana and Puck  
__Be my little baby  
Baby my darling_

The members of New Directions got up to join the alumni, singing along to their song. Mercedes has suggested singing a song to inspire the Glee club to come up with song choices for their Nationals competition and she had picked one hell of a song. The alumni and the current New Directions pranced around the choir room, singing along to the music.

_Mercedes and Sam__  
Take me home tonight  
I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light  
Take me home tonight_

_Mercedes and Artie__  
__Take me__  
Take me home tonight_

"Wow, you guys have improved a lot!" Quinn exclaimed, shouting above the applause.

"Thank you!" Kitty blushed, grabbing her skirt so tightly out of nervousness. She's still not so calm seeing Quinn Fabray. It wasn't love, of course. Just sheer admiration.

Mr. Schue looked around the choir room, elated at the thought of his old and new students bonding. But the head count was just off.

"Has anyone seen Joe and Sugar?" He asked, looking around for them.

"I think I saw Joe when we came in," Mercedes said, also looking around for the quiet Christian, although he doesn't talk much, his hair does always give him a huge presence, him missing was just weird, "He said something about Sugar."

"I'll go find him, Mr. Schue," Sam rushed out the door, with Mercedes and Quinn following behind.

As the other members of the Glee club looked on as the trio left, Mr. Schuester turned to the whiteboard. "Okay, let's continue with the brainstorming."

Tina raised her hand up high. And even though they were stretched up all the way, it was still blocked out of Mr. Schuester's sight by everyone else. It was only when everyone got back to sitting down did he see Tina. By then, she was alone standing in the middle of the choir room with her hands up. Tina turned around to see everyone seated down before rushing back to her seat, blushing hot red.

"More Than A Feeling," Tina shouted out with glee, after Mr. Schue signalled to her for an answer.

"Oh man, I love that song!" Finn burst out.

"Wow, you two are so fit to be together," Santana said, scratching her head, even with the obvious sarcasm, it still made Finn and Tina shift uncomfortably in their seats.

"I agree with Finn, that's an amazing song," Mr. Schuester wrote the title of the song onto the board, "But we would need to find a strong female lead."

"You're not going to ask Santana, right?" Tina rolled her eyes. Before realising Santana was in the room.

"Relax, girl-Chang, he's not Finn."

**Glee**

"To leave or not to leave," Sugar played around with the apple on the table, looking from it to Joe continuously, "That is the question."

"That sounds familiar," Joe commented.

"Perez Hilton, heard of him? It's not the exact words, but what the hell."

"You shouldn't leave a club that cares so much about you," Joe put his hand on Sugar's, allowing the apple to fall off the table.

"Oh please, they don't even know when I'm not there." Sugar opened up her purse and placed another apple on the table. She has the strangest things in there. "Besides, I can't sing, what's the point."

"You've stayed for a year, I'm sure..."

"I stayed for Rory. He's gone now."

Joe stayed silent for awhile, not knowing what to say to make Sugar feel better. Any mention of God would make Sugar turn and walk away from the table immediately, and honestly, the only comforting words and phrases he could come up with were all from the bible. "God brought you into Glee club for a reason" is what he wanted to say so badly, but Sugar would just come up with some sarcastic remark that'll leave both of them less than happy.

"I keep in touch with him, you know. He says he missed this place but it's just hell here. No one wants to talk to the rich girl."

"People in New Directions talk to you. Blaine made you the treasurer of the Student Council, right?"

"Because I'm rich. He threatened to take me off because, for some reason, I'm 'splurging' money," Sugar said, angrily smashing the apple onto the table, splattering juice all over Joe, "at least I don't spend so much on lousy hair gel."

Joe opened his mouth to talk, but it seemed like Sugar has had enough. She clearly hasn't made up her mind about leaving but she does seem to think no one cares about her. She takes out another apple out of her purse while Joe wonders why she carries so many apples.

"Oh, look, here comes your God squad thing. I'll leave you alone while they come get you and not me." Sugar moaned, taking her purse and walking away, leaving the new whole apple and the squashed one on the canteen table.

"Joe! Where were you during Glee?" Sam ran towards his friend, worried sick.

"I was talking to Sugar," Joe sadly stated, "she's thinking about leaving Glee club."

"About time," Mercedes groaned.

"What? She loved New Directions!" Quinn gasped.

"She doesn't feel wanted."

"Well, let's make her feel wanted!" Sam exasperated, not seeing the severity of the situation. Then again, every single girl in Glee club has threatened to leave before, some actually did. The girls looked at him questionably, but then again, they've been used to Sam's crazy sudden ideas. He's known for his inspirational outbursts in Glee club anyway.

"How?" Joe perked his head up, filled with optimism.

"God Square style," Quinn beamed, realising that everyone around was in the serenading club. "Sam, grab your guitar. Joe, go find Sugar."

"We're singing to her?" Joe asked, looking very lost.

Within minutes, Sam had grabbed his guitar and they had located Sugar.

"What are you doing?" Sugar asked irritably.

"Just, sit down and listen, okay?" whispered Quinn.

Sam started strumming his guitar and singing.

_Sam__  
Looking through my old drawer  
Came across the letter you wrote_

_Sam and Quinn__  
__Said you needed time away__  
That was so long ago_

_Joe and Mercedes  
__All my life, I've waited  
To see your smile again  
In my mind, I've hated  
Not able to let go_

"Stop," Sugar shouted, "Stop!"

Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Sam abruptly stopped playing. And the rest of the God Squad was left there speechless.

"This means nothing to me," Sugar rolled her eyes and stormed off. The four were left stunned and speechless, looking on as the figure of Sugar sashayed away into the distance.

"What do we do now?" He looked around at the clueless faces of his friends. He couldn't just give up now.

**Glee**

The bell rang and every member of the Glee club rushed out of the room. Alumni, similarly, piled out too, chatting and laughing. Finn walked up to join them but Tina grabbed his hand and held him back.

"Finn," Tina lowered her voice as she dragged him back into the back of the room, "I think we need to address the elephant in the room."

"What elephant?"

"It's a metaphor."

Just then Puck stuck his head into the room and laughed. Then he gave Finn a big thumbs up with an all too joyous face before leaving completely. Tina couldn't stand it anymore.

"I can't stand all these teasing they're doing, can't you tell them to stop."

"Why can't you do it, they're your friends too, you know," Finn said, placing his bag back onto the piano. He dragged a seat in front of Tina and sat down.

"By 'them', I mean Puck," Tina carefully laid it out for Finn, "He's getting on my nerves."

"Okay, I'll just tell him that there isn't anything between us," Finn said, albeit too casually for Tina to accept.

"Is there?" Tina laughed, hoping to lengthen the conversation. Asking Finn to stay back just for a minute worth of conversation was far too strange, she had to lengthen it somehow.

Finn had just gotten out of his seat, but upon hearing Tina's words, sat back down immediately, with an expression of grave seriousness. "You feel it too?" His face had hope on it, which weirded the hell out of Tina.

"What?" She was stunned. That wasn't the response she had been looking for.

"You," Finn said, uncomfortably looking around the room, but no denying the slight excitement he had in his voice, "feel the same way about me too?"

Oh, gosh, this isn't happening, Tina thought. But some part of her felt exhilarated. It's been long since someone felt something towards her. "Oh," was all she could come up with. Maybe, was what she wanted to say, but she couldn't. Finn had hidden his crush on her very well. Very well meaning no one knew, at all.

The silence sucked up the smile that was on Finn's face and he hastily jumped up from his seat. He pushed the chair back and grunted. "Erm, sorry, that was just awkward."

"Yeah," Tina said, chuckling to fill in the gaps and sub-consciously twirling her hair. She cleared her throat and smiled, "Well, I should get going."

Tina was halfway out the door when Finn stopped her, "One song," he said. Tina swung around and stared at him. "One song, just to see if there's anything," he muttered, "here." He awkwardly gestured around the room.

Tina pursed her lips and looked around. "Okay!" She said, shrugging her shoulders. The whole atmosphere was just too weird and Tina could feel relief spread throughout her body when she left the room. She really had no idea how she felt.

**Glee**

"No wonder he insisted on going to Prom with you," Artie deduced, sipping from his cup of strawberry juice.

"So, what are you going to do?" Blaine asked, concerned about his friend.

"I don't know," Tina murmured, "I don't even know what to think. I mean, he's nice."

"Oh my God, I can't deal with this love drama again," Sugar groaned, getting up from her seat and leaving her apple on the table.

"She's still upset about Rory leaving," Artie explained, "it's been half a year, you would think she had gotten over it."

"What am I going to do!" Tina exclaimed, dropping her head down onto the table before howling out in pain.

"Well, Finn's been harbouring this crush on you since the start of year, so," Sam started.

"Since the start of year? How do you know?" Tina shrieked.

"He needed a confidant," Sam shrugged.

"A lousy one," added Artie, looking at a nodding Sam. "It's that time when Tina just burst out at him when he was announced as our new coach, right?"

"I think it was after that," Sam said, taking a bite out of Sugar's apple.

Suddenly, Joe appeared, slipping into the seat Sugar had gotten out of. He gestured for the four seniors to listen in close. He quietly whispered to the quartet about Sugar's situation. And then spent the next five minutes listening to the four's expressions of shock and betrayal.

"We have a plan," Joe said.

Artie cocked his head to the left, showing his interest.

"Quinn and the others are leaving tomorrow, right? So we're going to throw a surprise for Sugar," Joe explained, "We're singing her favourite song."

"You think that would work? I mean, she was so angry when we sung to her," Sam bit his lips. One angry Sugar was enough.

"It's her favourite song, plus if we're all there, maybe she'll really feel important."

"Sounds like a plan," Blaine mused.

"Artie," everyone turned around to see Kitty behind them, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Artie looked back at his friends and wheeled away, scared at the reasons why Kitty would want to talk to him so urgently.

Kitty grabbed Artie's chair from behind and wheeled him out of the canteen. They entered the astronomy class room, which had planets dangling from the ceiling and Kitty sat down, opposite to Artie.

"If you're breaking up with me," Artie cleared his throat.

"No, I'm not."

Kitty grabbed his hands and stared him dead in the eye. Artie couldn't make out what she was thinking, but she looked excited.

"I'm quitting the Cheerios," she said, holding up a hand to stop Artie from protesting, "I don't care about my reputation anymore. I got you."

Artie was ecstatic beyond means, but he felt guilty. Real guilty.

"You don't have to quit the Cheerios, you know."

"Oh, thank God, because I didn't want to." She laughed and leaned back onto the chair. "So, want to have lunch tomorrow after school?"

"You know I'd want to," Artie beamed.

"Great, another happy couple."

Kitty and Artie's head turned towards the door, looking directly at Tina. Tina panicked and hastily walked away, carelessly tripping over herself as she rushed away.

**Glee**

"You can't put me in detention, Mr. Schue," Sugar leapt to keep up with Mr. Schuester's pace, "I have contributed so much to Glee Club."

"You're not in any trouble," Mr. Schuester carefully explained, "I just want you to attend one more session, okay?"

Sugar rolled her eyes and took out her purse. "How much do you want?"

If it had been anyone else, Mr. Schuester would have felt really insulted, but this was Sugar, and well, her level of comprehension is faltering.

"Just a visit to the choir room, okay?"

They rounded a corner and Mr. Schuester dragged Sugar into the room. The alumni and the members of New Directions stood together, with smiles plastered on their faces as Sugar walked in. Finn closed the door behind him and Sugar spun round, terrified.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Relax, take a seat," Mr. Schuester said, ushering her to a nearby chair.

"You said you didn't think we cared," Marley soulfully suggested, "We wanted to show you that we did."

"Yeah, you meant so much to the club, Sugar." Artie mentioned, with several other members nodding their heads.

"We just want to let you feel like you have family," said Ryder.

Right after Sugar took her seat, Joe and Puck took out their guitars and Tina went to the piano.

_Joe  
__Say, won't you stay  
We can talk about nothing at all  
Or sit here and make up the words  
As we go along_

The rest of the Glee club hummed along, providing a harmonious medley backing Joe's vocals up.

_Joe  
__They told me  
Maybe she's crazy a little like you  
Everyone said you were nothing but trouble  
All that I know  
Is that I've never been here before_

Everybody started walking up to Sugar, surrounding her as Joe serenaded her, singing one of Sugar's favourite songs ever. Sugar looked on, feeling just as awkward as she felt touched. She wasn't used to this much attention outside home.

_Joe  
__And it hurts, to know,  
There was somebody out there as strange and  
As beautiful, as you  
If I'd known sooner_

Joe strummed the last note on the guitar and put it down, and the members of the Glee club took their cue to hug Sugar. Sugar was left there crying and laughing as the everyone piled onto her, surrounding her from all sides. And in that moment, she finally felt like she belonged again.

**Glee**

"Thank you," Sugar said, suddenly appearing where Joe had just closed his locker door.

"For what?" Joe smiled.

"You know," she replied, hitting Joe on the shoulder.

Sugar had been all smiles the whole day after Joe had sung to her with everyone else. And that hasn't changed a day later. She's still beaming like the Sun.

Sugar took her books from the locker beside Joe's and grabbed his arm, leading him away to class. They were completely unaware of Finn and Tina watching them leave.

"Look at her, she's so happy now," Tina commented, "She's hardly ever been like this."

Finn pursed his lips together. He wanted to bring up the whole song thing again but could not find the courage to do so. But he had to head back to college in a half hour so it was a now or never situation for him.

"Look, Finn, I know what you're thinking," Tina spun round to look Finn in the face, but it seemed to be towering out of view, "I look around and see all these happy couples everywhere in school, and I just want one too."

Hope spread across Finn's face, but again, Tina had the dreaded task to put him down once more.

"But that'll be unfair to you. It wouldn't be true," Tina laid her hand on Finn's, who clearly didn't understand her logic, so she had to come up with something else, "Plus, I'll just probably be a Rachel rebound anyway."

"I'm not with Rachel anymore, Tina," Finn sounded more disappointed than ever before.

"But you still love her."

Finn looked away, wondering if that was true. Tina knows it was, but Finn's just not ready to admit it anyone. Himself, even.

"You promised me a song, though," Finn finally said after a long pause, and brought Tina into a nearby classroom. He took out his phone and set it onto the table.

"Lyrics' on the screen."

Tina couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay," Finn hadn't chosen a completely romantic song, which was fine by her, but it was still somewhere around that level that made her slightly uncomfortable.

_Finn  
__I remember what you wore on our first day  
You came into my life  
And I thought hey  
You know this could be something_

Tina bent over the table, looking at the lyrics on the tiny screen, she had never heard this song before.

_Finn  
__But there's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me __coming undone__  
And I'm thinking two, is better than one_

_Tina  
__I remember every look upon your face_

_Finn and Tina  
__The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste  
You make it hard for breathing_

Tina covered her mouth in shame, apparently singing lines she shouldn't have been. And Finn let out a chuckle, making Tina feel even more embarrassed, making her laugh along.

_Finn and Tina  
__And maybe it's true, that I can't live without you  
Well maybe two is better than one_

Tina looked at Finn, whose singing so confidently and looking at her back. Maybe there is something here, she thought. But she didn't know. It's just two friends sharing a fun time singing a new song, she thought, however it still felt like something more.

_Finn and Tina  
__There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life  
And I've figured out with all that's said and done  
Two, is better than one_

Two is better than one.

"That's a nice song," Tina blurted out, before mentally kicking herself for saying something so lame.

"Yeah, thanks," Finn said, keeping his phone back into his pocket.

"So, how do you feel?"

"You're probably right," Finn said, the words more crushing than Tina expected, "It's just some stupid crush, I'll get over it." He stood up, preparing to leave for college. "You remember that time Rachel had a crush on Mr. Schue?"

Tina let out a nervous laughter, forcing herself to act natural. But after Finn left she just felt a sense of longingness in her heart. Maybe she did feel something more. But she just doesn't want to admit it just yet, to anyone, including herself.

* * *

**Songs:**  
Take Me Home Tonight by Eddie Money sung by Blaine, Marley, Jake, Santana, Puck, Mercedes, Sam and Artie  
Come Back To Me by Janet Jackson sung by Joe, Quinn, Sam and Mercedes  
Pretend by Scott Porter and the Glory Dogs sung by Joe  
Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift sung by Finn and Tina


	5. 5) A Katy or a Gaga

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 5  
A Katy or a Gaga**

* * *

**Storlines:  
**Jake and Marley: They struggle to find common ground on their relationship

* * *

It's been a day since Marley had ruined "the Katy"'s rendition of Lady Gaga's Applause. And everyone still seems mad at her. She had passed by Sam in the hall and he didn't even open his mouth so comically wide like he did any other day to make her smile. In her heart, she knew what she did was right, she stayed through to herself, but Mr. Schuester was also right, she should've at least told her group mates first.

"If you're uncomfortable, that's understandable," Mr. Schuester had said, "But we're performers and we aim to get out of our comfort zones, and you should've told your team mates if you're going to change the plan."

Now, she's been suspended from Glee club for a week. Finn had come up to her that day to apologise for the harsh punishment but Marley was just too frustrated.

"Hey," Jake hugged Marley from behind as she was deep in thought. And the feeling of Jake's arms around her swooned her. "Feeling better?"

"A little bit," Marley chuckled, giving a small peck onto Jake's cheek.

"I know how to make you feel a little better," Jake said, placing his hands on Marley's hip, "Want to come over for dinner? I can cook."

"You can cook?" Marley asked jokingly. She has never heard about Jake cooking before. "Like, actually cook?"

"Yes, actually cook." He hung his arm around Marley's back, letting it rest on her petite shoulders.

"Sure, I'll just stop by the cafeteria and tell my Mom, okay?"

"And while you do that, Jake and I need to talk," Bree appeared from behind them, pushing a student onto the floor as she did.

Marley bit her lips. Both Jake and her knew that Bree could only mean trouble after her run in with Kitty and Tina. But she didn't know what to expect.

"Relax, girl with fat Mom," Bree turned her head and set her sharp eyes onto Jake. "I just have a proposition. The Cheerios need a new choreographer for our performance in next week's assembly. I assume you can help out?"

Jake looked from Bree to Marley, and instantly knew that this was a bad idea. Bree definitely have an ulterior motive. Her eyes had been set on Glee club ever since Prom.

"Flattering," Jake took a small bow of his head, "But I would have to decline."

"Why?" Marley spoke up, to Jake's surprise, "You love dancing, if it's something you want to do, go ahead." Her warm smile wavered Jake and he accepted. But there were doubts filling his head and he was not sure if Marley had realised the position he was in now.

As Bree turned to walk away with several other Cheerios following her, Cheerios that Marley and Jake didn't notice before, Jake turned on Marley. "Don't you think this is a bad idea, I mean, it's Bree."

"Don't worry, I trust you," Marley leaned in and kissed Jake again, before pulling him by the arm and begin walking towards the cafeteria again.

"Jake!"

Jake turned around to see Unique standing at the lockers, half panting. Tina and Kitty running behind her, trying to catch up. They stopped where Unique was, bending down and catching their breathes.

Upon catching a glimpse at Jake's confused expression, Kitty muttered under her breathe, "She runs really fast in heels."

"Rehearsal, now!" Unique waved a finger at him and turned to walk away, dragging Tina and Kitty behind her.

**Glee**

_Jake and Tina__  
__I'm wide awake_

_Kitty__  
__ Thunder rumbling_

_Jake and Tina__  
__I'm wide awake_

_Unique__  
Castles crumbling_

_Jake and Tina__  
__I'm wide awake_

_Tina__  
__I am trying to_

_Jake and Tina__  
__Hold on_

Marley opened the door to the back of the auditorium to take a peek. She had pressed her ears against the metal door for quite a while, but just hearing the voices was not good enough for her. Mr. Schuester didn't seem to see her, so she just walked in and hid behind the last row of seats. The four performers on stage seemed to have noticed her, but it didn't disrupt their performances at all. They flashed a smile as Marley waved to them.

_Jake and Kitty__  
You know I'm letting go tonight _

_Unique__  
Yeah, I'm ready to go, I'm_

_Jake and Tina__  
I'm falling from cloud nine_

_Jake, Kitty, Tina, and Unique__  
__I'm wide awake_

The lights in the auditorium dim out and Marley looked behind her to see Lauren Zizes in the control room. Lauren held a thumbs up and then turned around to leave the control room. Marley wasn't sure if Lauren had seen her.

"Guys, that was amazing!" Finn jumped up from his seat, clapping along to the other's applause.

"We know," Tina mused, walking back to her seat. Mr. Schuester walks to the front to address the New Directions, making Marley drop flat onto the floor to avoid being caught. After what seems like an hour of talking, a pair of feet appears right in front of Marley's face. Marley looks up to see Jake.

"You look prettier when you're vertical," he joked, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Marley laughed, grabbing Jake's hands and getting up. She wiped the dust from her dress.

"You look beautiful," Jake whispered under his breath.

He tugged Marley close and kissed her. Marley grabbed Jake's waist and pushed back. She felt Jake's hand crawl up her back, tickling her as it went. She moved forward, pushing them both onto the ground. Jake let out a little laugh, before leaning up to kiss her again. Suddenly, Marley felt a tug on her cardigan. She pulled herself away so fast, she fell back onto the floor on her rear.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Jake put his hands up, "This isn't the place."

Jake got up from the floor and helped Marley up, who was feeling very embarrassed by Jake's actions.

"Jake," Marley stared into Jake's eyes, visibly upset, "It's not about the place."

There was a huge uncomfortable pause that followed. And it took forever before Jake broke the silence.

"Can we have an honest conversation about this?" He sighed. Jake turned around and took a seat on the nearest seat. "The whole point to being boyfriend-girlfriend is that we hang out and spend all this time together so that we can appreciate and trust each other."

"Appreciate and trust?" Marley echoed, "Are you telling me that the only reason you hang out with me and all that is just so you can... touch me?"

"What? No, no, no!" Jake exclaimed, slapping his hand onto his head.

"Then what is it, Jake?"

"I feel like you won't even consider it. Like you don't care that it's bumming me out."

"Well, what do you want me to do? I don't want to be pressured into doing something I don't want to do!" Marley shrieked, crossing her arms and staring down onto the ground.

" Who is pressuring you, Marley? I have been the most patient. The most understanding," Jake got up and grabbed Marley by the arms, trying to get her to look him in the eye, " I mean, I used to stop calling a girl if she didn't let me in her pants after six hours."

"Then go be with one of those girls! Go! Have fun!" She whipped her arms free and pushed Jake away.

"Couple trouble?" A voice came from behind Jake.

Jake whipped around and saw Bree standing at the door.

"I know how that's like," Bree teased.

Marley let out a grunt and pushed past the both of them, storming out the door.

**Glee**

Marley sat alone in the choir room, phone in hand. She had dragged a stool into the middle of the room, such that she was facing a crowd of chairs, where the Glee club members would usually sit. She reached her thumb out to press "play" but hesitated. She placed the phone down onto her lap and closed her eyes. She felt clueless and hopeless. Jake had been one of the few friends she had in this school that she felt she could really trust. She never had friends before coming into this school, and although she finally has some now, she felt used. Maybe I'm just exaggerating, she thought to herself. But Jake's actions had hurt her nonetheless. She picked up her phone and pressed "play".

_Marley  
__I can't believe what you said to me  
Last night when we were alone  
You threw your hands up  
Baby you gave up, you gave up_

I can't believe how you looked at me  
With your James Dean glossy eyes  
In your tight jeans with your long hair  
And your cigarette stained lies

She grabbed her phone tight as she digger her clenched fists into her thighs. Tears streamed down her face, spreading everywhere around her cheeks. She could even feel the salty tears flowing into her mouth.

_Marley  
__I'll never talk again  
Oh boy you've left me speechless  
You've left me speechless, so speechless_

_Marley and Jake  
__And I'll never love again,  
Oh boy you've left me speechless  
You've left me speechless, so speechless_

Marley opened her eyes to see Jake standing in front of her. Jake dragged a nearby stool and sat opposite of Marley. They were face to face, yet there was quite a distance between them.

_Jake  
__And after all the drinks and bars that we've been to  
Would you give it all up?  
Could I give it all up for you?_

And after all the boys and girls that we've been through  
Would you give it all up?  
Could you give it all up?

"No," Marley whispered, pressing "pause" on her phone and getting up from her stool. She wiped the tears off her face using the sleeves of her cardigan. Before Jake could stop her, she grabbed her bag from beside the piano and took off.

"Hey, man, what are you doing here?" Ryder appeared from behind Jake, apparently coming through the other door of the choir room.

"No reason," Jake answered.

"We're heading over to Artie's place, want to come?" Ryder gestured towards the door, where Artie, Blaine and Sam were.

"No, you guys go ahead."

"Oh yeah, you had plans with Marley," Ryder smiled, "We wanted to get Joe, but he's still caught up helping his Dad with Bibles or something." Ryder patted Jake on the back and took off, signalling to the rest of the guys to take off.

Jake paced around the empty choir room, moving chairs around using his foot. He wondered about Marley, what he should do. He wanted to apologise, but somewhere in him, he felt that it should be Marley apologising instead. We're both to blame, he thought, before collapsing onto a chair. Jake hung an arm on his head and shut his eyes.

"Dude, you okay?" Jake opened his eyes to see Sam staring down at him.

"Couldn't leave you here knowing something's up right?" Ryder grabbed a nearby chair and sat beside Jake. "What's wrong?"

Jake studied the faces of the four boys in front of him. He leaned back into his seat and hung his head back again. "Nothing."

"You know, if you want to sleep, I can always ask Penny if you can sleep in the nurse's office." Sam said.

"The nurse's name is Penny?" Artie asked, "I thought Penny was that girl you're dating."

"Guys, I really don't want to talk about it, okay?" Jake moaned, "Go enjoy yourselves."

"Where are you going?" Sam walked forward to grab Jake but Jake knocks his arm away.

"I'm going home, Sam," Jake groaned. Jake then walked out of the room, waving them goodbye without a glance back.

"Déjà vu," said Blaine.

**Glee**

"I just can't believe he would do something like that," Marley grumbled, pressing her hands tighter into each other.

"I told you he was trouble, Marley," Unique boasted, sucking on her lollipop.

"Is that supposed to make her feel better?" Tina snapped, "Look, you have to talk to him. If you're not comfortable doing this, you have to tell him."

Kitty rolled her eyes and walked away. "What's the big deal anyway, it's just sex."

"I'm not comfortable about it," Marley looked up at Kitty, hoping she would understand her point of view, but Kitty probably won't. She turned back to Tina, "I've told him, many times. He says he doesn't have the patience anymore, what do I do?"

"You've had this coming. You know what you got yourself into," Kitty, once again, rolled her eyes.

Tina waved her away, "Look, if Jake truly cares about you, he will wait. He wouldn't let urges take control of him. I mean, when I was with Mike, I was so patient with him, until he was ready to, you know, do it!"

"You mean ex-boyfriend Mike, the one who ditched you right after he said he wouldn't?" Kitty laughed, immediately being waved off by Tina once again.

"You mean you're the sex-crazy one in that relationship," Unique made a face, "You go, girl!" Then she burst out into the most annoying laugh Tina had heard in ages.

"What I'm saying is, if he cares, he will wait," Tina patted Marley on the back.

"I disagree," Kitty walked over to Marley, "He's been spending way too much time with that vixen, Bree. Who knows what they're doing after Cheerios practice every day."

"He's in the Cheerios?" Tina's hand shot up to her mouth.

"No, genius, he's helping us out. But they've been spending so much time together, it's getting suspicious."

"Why is he even helping them?" Unique said, dropping her lollipop onto the floor, "Aw, damn!"

"Oh, no, I told him too!" Marley cried, burying her face into her hands, forgetting about the wet tissues in her hands.

"Okay, that's it, stop crying for Pete's sake," Kitty knocked the tissues out of Marley's hand and grabbed her face, so menacingly it took everyone by surprise. Kitty squished Marley's cheeks together. "You don't let Bree win this love crap. Fight for him." Kitty said, and then after a bit of reconsideration, "But don't give in to the whole sex thing."

"How?" Marley tried to speak but she found it hard to open her mouth while it's being forced open into the shape of an O.

"I don't know, use your innovation," Kitty let go of her face.

Just then Finn and Mr. Schuester walked in.

"Hey, you're early," Finn exclaimed, unjustifiably excited.

"Marley, you're joining us today?" Mr. Schuester asked with sarcasm.

"She's learnt her lesson Mr. Schue," Tina said, walking over to him to have a private talk.

Soon, the whole choir room has been filled with the members of New Direction. Joe was back and Sugar had recovered from her illness, so they were back up to full strength.

"Well, I hope that this week, you guys have..." Finn started, but was immediately interrupted by Mr. Schuester.

"Excuse me, Finn," Mr. Schuester cleared his throat, "After careful deliberation with Mr. Hudson over here."

"Oh god, we're not supposed to call him that right?" Kitty pretended to gag.

Mr. Schuester ignored her and continued, "We declared the 'Gaga's the winners this week, so Tina, Unique, Kitty, Jake, would you like to do the honours?"

Artie leaned in to Blaine's ear and whispered, "Careful." Artie laughed but Blaine simply folded his arms, angry at their loss.

"Thank you, Mr. Schuester," Tina took a mini bow to the crowd, gesturing to her teammates to do the same, "As the winners this week, we thought we would grace you with the honour of hearing us sing another Katy song!"

"She's really beginning to sound like Rachel," Artie whispered to Blaine, "I mean, you're more Rachel than her, but she's catching up." Blaine turned round to give Artie a look, but Artie never saw it.

"It's one of her newer songs, so if you know it, you can sing along," Tina clapped her hands together and went to the band to tell them about her song choice.

Jake talked to Kitty for awhile and then went back to sit with the crowd. "So apparently, Jake's not in the mood to sing 'Unconditionally'," Kitty began, rolling her eyes again, she's so good at it she doesn't miss an opportunity to do it.

"I'll sing with you guys," Marley burst out, raising her hand high up in the air, one look at Mr. Schuester and she realised she hadn't considered her position, "If that's okay?"

Mr. Schuester nodded and Marley stood with the other girls. She shot a determined look to Jake, who sat there in confusion.

_Tina  
__Oh no, did I get too close?  
Oh, did I almost see  
what's really on the inside?_

_Tina and Kitty  
__All your insecurities  
All the dirty laundry  
Never made me blink one time_

_Marley  
__Unconditional, unconditionally  
I will love you unconditionally_

Marley continued her glare at Jake, quickly realising that her stare was more intimidating than sweet. But she had a message to bring across, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

_Marley and Unique  
__Unconditional, unconditionally  
I will love you unconditionally  
There is no fear now  
Let go and just be free  
I will love you unconditionally_

_Tina  
__So open up your heart and just let it begin_

_Kitty  
__Open up your heart and just let it begin_

_Marley  
__Open up your heart and just let it begin_

_Unique  
__Open up your heart_

Slowly, Jake began to smile. And upon seeing so, Marley smiled too. She was glad at the thought that they wouldn't be fighting anymore. Everything should be fine, she thought.

_Marley and Tina  
__Acceptance is the key to be  
To be truly free_

_Marley__  
Will you do the same thing for me?_

Jake beamed at Marley and nodded his head. Marley laughed, forgetting her cue to sing and, once again, ruining the song. The band abruptly stopped playing and the other three girls were left dumbfounded as Marley smiled on at Jake.

"Marley!" Tina screamed.

* * *

**Author's comments:** Too much love sappiness for me haha. Next episode's gonna be renamed from End Of Twerk to Troubles, because there won't be any twerking in it.

**Songs:  
**Applause by Lady Gaga sung by Artie, Ryder, Marley, Sam and Blaine  
Wide Awake by Katy Perry sung by Tina, Kitty, Unique and Jake  
Speechless by Lady Gaga sung by Marley and Jake  
Unconditionally by Katy Perry sung by Tina, Kitty, Unique and Marley

**Update:** Next episode may take awhile. Maybe early August? I have examinations :(


	6. 6) Trouble

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 6  
Trouble**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Unique and Ryder: Constant bullying forces Unique to seek help from the Glee club, and Ryder takes is upon himself to help her.  
Marley and Jake: Just as their relationship started going uphill once again, Marley finds out that Jake has been cheating on her.

* * *

_Unique_  
_If I were a boy  
Even just for a day  
I'd roll out of bed in the morning  
Throw on what I wanted and go_

Unique's face was drenched in tears, and everyone in the choir room could do nothing but watch sympathetically at the broken girl in front of them. Her wig was tilted and her clothes in a mess, a sight that had made Sugar gasp in horror.

_Unique  
__If I were a boy  
I think I could understand  
How it feels to love a girl  
I swear I'd be a better man_

"Isn't she a boy?" Sugar whispered to Joe.

Joe, still uncomprehending Unique's sexuality, simply shrugged his shoulders. Kitty tapped Sugar's head and shushed her.

_Unique__  
I'd listen to her  
'Cause I know how it hurts  
When you lose the one you wanted  
'Cause he's taking you for granted  
And everything you had got destroyed_

Unique stopped as her sobs got the better of her voice. She stood there crying like a fool, and no one but Tina could understand. Tina rushed up from her seat to comfort Unique, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"That's it. We need some names," Ryder stood up, lamely cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, this has gone on far too long," Sam agreed, getting onto his feet.

"No," Mr. Schuester raised a hand towards Ryder and Sam and calmly said, "Unique, would you come with me, please?"

With that, Mr. Schuester guided a shaking Unique out of the room.

"What the hell was that all about?" Sugar blurted out, "If she wanted to be a guy, doesn't she already have a penis?" Sugar looked towards Kitty for confirmation, to which the only reply she got was a palm to the face.

Tina stared at her with disbelief, and then followed out the door. With Mr. Schuester not around and Finn at college, there was no one in charge in the choir room, so the remaining members of New Directions left in the choir room quietly left.

"Where are all of you going? Glee club isn't over!" Blaine screamed after the leaving teenagers.

Jake waved him off and hung an arm around Marley, leading her out of the room.

After a moment of silence, Marley spoke up into Jake's ears, "I'm worried about Unique."

"We all are," Jake muttered, dismissing the conversation entirely.

Marley dug her head into Jake's chest, pondering over what to do to help her friend. She had no idea what she could do, she had no advice, she had no words of comfort. Unique was her best friend and yet she felt so useless when her friend needed her most.

"Hey, Jake!" Bree whispered from behind the couple, causing both of them to flinch. "I hope you didn't forget about today." She said, toying with his shirt.

Bree took a glance at Marley, raised her eyebrows and walked off.

"You have to choreograph today?" Marley sighed, pulling away.

"Apparently, I'll see you after lunch okay?" Jake took off, following after Bree and Marley was left alone in the hallway.

Marley watched them leave with a frown on her face. She turned around and saw Kitty and Artie staring at her.

"What are you guys doing?"

"What are you doing?" Kitty cocked her head to the side, folding her arms as she spoke, "You're letting him just run off with Breh?"

"Isn't it Bree?"

"That was on purpose."

Artie rolled in between the girls, "Yeah Marley, isn't she like the bitch of the school now?"

"Now? You mean forever?" Kitty rolled her eyes and laid a hand on Artie's chair to lean.

"I trust Jake," Marley insisted.

"But you don't trust Bree," Kitty held a finger up, "You never trust Bree."

Kitty grab hold of Artie's chair and pushed him away, without saying another word to Marley.

Marley stood there, dumbfounded, before making up her mind and chasing down Jake and Bree.

**Glee**

"Don't worry, you're okay," Ryder whispered, holding a roll of toilet paper in his hands, occasionally handing a piece to Unique.

Unique patted the tears away from her eyes as she looked down onto the ground. She could see her own tears on the concrete floor. "I mean, I know I can't make them accept me for who I am," Unique cried, "People have their own beliefs, I respect that, but you know,"

"They've gone too far," Ryder nodded, tearing off another piece of paper and handing it to Unique. He reached out a hand to pat her on the back.

Unique sniffed and placed the tissues onto the ground beside her. She looked up at the whiteboard at the front of the choir room. "You know, I just did that whole thing to you last time because I liked you."

"Cat-fishing?"

"No, the whole getting all mad at you not calling me a girl thing. I blew it out of proportions, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you were right. You're a girl, are you should be respected as one."

Ryder held her hands and swung it around, making Unique smile a little.

"But,"

"No buts," Ryder laughed, "Look, you can't change the world overnight. You're right that people have their beliefs, but if they were as aggressive as they were about it and being disrespectful to your face like I was, then they need to educate themselves."

Unique sniggered, "You just said but."

"I'm sorry," Ryder croaked, raising his hand up to his mouth.

Letting go of Ryder's hand, Unique wiped off the remaining of her tears with the back of her hand and stood up. The two of them sat silently for a long time. Occasional hiccups came from Unique, but that was it.

"You know what? Jerks can be jerks," Unique suddenly walked towards the whiteboard, "But that shouldn't let me down."

She picked up a marker and wrote on the board. It was only when she turned back around and walked over to Ryder did he realise what she wrote.

"Pride."

"Different and proud," Unique stated, taking a seat down beside Ryder.

"You think Mr. Schuester will go with that?"

"He kinda seems to make up lessons two minutes in advance anyway," Unique laughed, causing Ryder to laugh along as well.

They stayed there giggling for a long time, both of them didn't notice how long though. Then, the bell rang.

"You gonna be okay?" Ryder asked.

"Oh please, I've been dealing with this forever. You think a little more over-the-top bullying is going to get me anywhere I've never been before?"

"You're not alone on this."

"I know, I always know. Please, Ryder, I'm not dumb. This isn't my problem, this is the bullies'. If they're so..."

"Close-minded?"

"Yeah! Then that's their problem."

"Still..." Ryder pointed to the board.

"Yeah, I'll erase it," Unique said.

**Glee**

"Okay, Finn and the guys have prepared something, I believe," Mr Schuester announced, looking to Finn for confirmation, "So let's give them a hand."

The whole New Directions were in the auditorium together. It was their weekly scheduled date to use it, and although Mr. Schuester didn't have much planned this week, because of all the Unique drama, they chose to use it anyway.

Finn and the six males of New Directions headed up the stage.

"In light of the situation one of our own is facing, Finn thought that this would be an appropriate song to dedicate to that individual," Blaine spoke into the mike, looking sympathetically at Unique.

Unique smiled, although it was mixed with embarrassment.

_Blaine and Finn  
__All around me are familiar faces  
Worn out places, worn out faces  
Bright and early for their daily races  
Going nowhere, going nowhere_

_Jake and Finn  
__Their tears are filling up their glasses  
No expression, no expression_

_Jake and Ryder  
__Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow  
No tomorrow, no tomorrow_

Unique watched as the remaining girls, hugged her tight. Marley in particular was leaning on her shoulder, and Sugar was tying her hair. "Must be nice to have a song dedicated to you," she whispered to Unique, evidently forgetting the events of last year where Rory and Artie fought over her. Unique just waved that comment away, assuming it was jealousy, which it was.

_Sam and Blaine  
__Went to school and I was very nervous  
No one knew me, no one knew me_

_Artie  
__Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson_

_Sam and Artie__  
__Look right through me_

_Artie__  
Look right through me_

_Finn and Joe  
__And I find it kinda funny  
I find it kinda sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying  
Are the best I've ever had_

Unique started tearing up. She doesn't even know why, but she could relate to the song. Almost every word felt like her whole life story, of her story of struggle.

Marley leaned back to see Unique shaking, "Are you okay?"

Unique nodded violently and buried her face into her hands.

The guys walk down from the stage and hugged Unique. After a while, Mr. Schuester and Finn brought Unique out of the auditorium to calm her down.

"The song didn't upset her, right?" Sam asked worriedly.

"No, don't worry," Tina said, "she loved it."

"My turn," Marley spoke out confidently. Everyone turned her head to look at her.

"Unique's already out of the auditorium, if you hadn't realised," Sugar mocked.

"It's not for her," she said bluntly, before walking up onto the stage and whispering to the band.

The rest of the Glee club, wondering what Marley was doing, sat back down in their seats. Marley took a mike from the backstage and walked up to the centre of the stage. She took a deep breathe and looked towards Jake.

_Marley  
__2am, where do I begin,  
Crying off my face again.  
The silent sound of loneliness  
Wants to follow me to bed._

Everyone turned around to look at Jake, who seemed to be just as confused as them. He folded his arms and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Marley just kept staring at him.

_Marley  
__Dancing slowly in an empty room,  
Can the lonely take the place of you?  
I sing myself a quiet lullaby.  
Let you go and let the lonely in  
To take my heart again._

Marley's stare intensifies with hurt. Just looking at her has made everyone in the auditorium feel really uncomfortable. Sugar excused herself and walked out the door, but Marley didn't care at all. Her song was meant for one person and one person only.

_Marley_  
_I'm a ghost of a girl that I want to be most.  
I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well._

Finishing off her song, Marley flung her hands down and the microphone dropped from her hands. It hit the stage with a thud, which sounded a lot louder than it was in the quiet auditorium. Jake started walking up the stage. Upon seeing that, Marley ran off in tears, covering her face. Jake was left dumbfounded on the stage as he heard the rest of the club leaving the auditorium.

**Glee**

"Unique," Artie wheeled himself towards her, "You look way better!"

"There's no point fretting about it," Unique explained, closing her locker door and walking alongside Artie across the hallway.

"You can't just ignore it either," Artie mumbled.

"They're just uncomfortable, big bullies. They'll learn. Besides, I have amazing friends to back me up when I need it."

Unique stopped in her tracks, pointed a finger back towards her locker and headed in that direction. Artie turned around and pushed to keep up with her. Wow, she really is fast, Artie thought as he looked down, and she's in heels too!

"I almost forgot, I got y'all a little something."

Unique reached into her highly decorated locker of foam and glitter to pull out a purple sack with a golden ribbon around it. The ribbon tied around the opening of the sack, sealing it closed with a pretty bow. Artie, curious, opened up the sack, revealing several mini figurines of each New Directions member inside. He shuffled his hand around and realised that there was one for Brittany, Mr. Schuester and Finn too.

"I wanted to give it out if we had lost Nationals," Unique smiled, "You know, to cheer everyone up."

Ryder walked towards them and noticed the figures, "Yeah, who wouldn't want to play with themselves."

He bent down to pick up the sack from Artie, who seemed pleasantly surprised. Ryder searched around for his, and took his out. "My hair does not look like that."

Unique raised an eyebrow, and Artie just nodded in agreement with her.

"Why now though?" Artie asked.

"You guys have been so supportive of me," Unique turned around to close her locker, "I just felt like giving something back, you know? Just the other day, Blaine, Sam and Ryder defended me when that guy from the Hockey club came over."

"Yeah, that guy was horrible," Ryder grumbled, pushing Artie's chair as the trio walked back down the hall.

"The three of them had my back," Unique placed her hand on Artie's shoulder, "And I know all of you do. I couldn't let that go unappreciated. Excuse me." Unique turned the corner and walked straight into the girl's bathroom. Several girls seem to leave the toilet immediately, but it didn't seem to disturb Unique one bit.

"She's taking this way better than I expected," Artie looked to Ryder who simply nodded his head. "I mean, I never did, with all the bullying."

"She's strong, I guess."

Just then, Tina, Kitty and Sugar walked by the two boys.

"Have you two seen Marley?" Tina asked, her face filled with worry.

Tina, Kitty and Sugar took off immediately after seeing the look of confusion on the other's faces. Unique looked back at Ryder and Artie and shrugged. After a moment's though, she chased after the three girls.

"Wow, she really runs fast in heels," Ryder commented.

"Trudat."

**Glee**

"Marley!" Kitty shouted, running down towards Marley, who was sitting alone in the cafeteria.

Upon seeing the blonde cheerleader charging towards her like a raging ape, Marley sped off. Her tiny legs rocking under her body, Marley turned any corner she could find. She did not want to talk to any one of them right now. Her sudden emotional outburst at Jake earlier was better unexplained.

"Marley!" Tina screamed at the top of her lungs. Marley stopped and backtracked, dashing past student after student, and a teacher who had called her to walk. When she was sure she couldn't hear Tina behind her anymore, she slowed down. Turning back for a glance, she saw Tina being reprimanded by the same teacher.

"Marley!" Marley turned around to see Sugar trotting to her location. Sugar quickened her pace to catch up with Marley, but the girl was ready on her heels. Marley sped down the hallway. She was sure Sugar did not even bother running to catch up with her.

"Marley!" The petite girl turned around in horror as the unmistakable silhouette of Unique surrounded her. Marley ran with all her might, but Unique was too fast. Unique grabbed Marleby the arm and dragged her into a nearby classroom.

"Mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Unique placed her arms on her hips. She didn't appear tired from the chase at all. Meanwhile, Marley was struggling just to regain her breathe.

After helping Marley back into an upright position, Unique continued her questioning.

"It's about Jake, okay?" Marley said exasperatedly.

"Yeah, we all know that," Unique snapped, "Details, girl."

Tina, Kitty and Sugar burst through the door, all clutching their abdomens and breathing heavily.

"You!" Kitty pointed a finger at Marley, "Do not ever do that again!"

Marley ignored her, and turned to face the ground. She did not want to tell them about Jake, because she doesn't want all the pity or 'I told you so's.

"What is it?" Unique demanded, her voice uncharacteristically impatient.

"He's with Bree!" Marley exclaimed, tired of Unique's aggressive behavior.

"What?!" Tina and Kitty couldn't believe their ears.

Sugar looked at all four girls faces, but nothing helped her at all. "Who's that?"

Marley moved to a nearby wall and leaned on it, slowly regaining her composure. "Ever since he started choreographing with the Cheerios, he's stopped complaining about the... sex thing."

"Wasn't that because you settled that situation last week?" Tina, clearly annoyed by Marley's paranoia, asked.

"I saw him choreographing," Marley began to tear up, "He was touching her everywhere."

"I told you, Marley!" Kitty hit her on the shoulder, "That girl ain't to be trusted! You should've just punched her in the face right there and then!"

Marley's tears kept coming down, she couldn't find a suitable reply to anything the other girls are saying. She just stood there dumbly.

Unique rolled her eyes, "Darn, girl, pull yourself together!" She brushed Marley off the table and gave her a look full of annoyance. "Are you really just going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself like dem ladies in the 70s. We're strong women now, we're proud women, and if we want something, we fight for it like strong people do!"

"And that's coming from a girl with a penis!" Kitty mocked, cocking her head backwards.

Sugar stifled a laugh as Unique continued speaking, "Now, you go to that slut of a man, and demand the truth."

"I don't t-think I can," Marley stuttered, "I-I..."

"Remember what I told you?" Kitty grabbed Marley by the hands, "You're Woman Fierce. And no Woman Fierce is going to let some stupid boy ruin her day."

Marley looked at Kitty's hands, and started massaging them between her palms. She didn't say a word and the girls were getting worried.

"You know, all this lovey dovey crap is getting really old," Sugar moaned, sitting on a nearby chair. "Get over it, it's not like your life revolves around some stupid crush."

The girls stare at her as if she were some demon. Tina signalled for her to shut up. This was definitely not the time and place to say that.

"You know what?" Unique swirled around, "I know what will make you feel better." Unique took out her iPhone and laid it on the table. "I wanted to sing this song next Glee club meeting, but I guess I could use a trial run. Care to join me ladies?"

Tina and Kitty took a peek at the iPhone screen and giggled.

"Really?" Kitty shook her head.

"Really." Unique pressed play and dragged Marley across the empty classroom. "Come on, do a li'l dance with me."

Marley smiled a little, "I like this song."

"I know you do," Unique gave her a wink, "Sing along!"

_Unique  
__The best thing about being a woman  
Is the prerogative to have a __little fun_

_Unique and Kitty  
__Oh, oh, oh,  
Go totally crazy  
Forget I'm a lady  
Men's shirts-short skirts  
Oh, oh, oh,  
_

_Unique and Tina__  
Really go wild-yeah  
Doin' it in style  
Oh, oh, oh,  
Get in the action-feel the attraction  
Color my hair, do what I dare  
Oh, oh, oh,  
_

_Marley__  
I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel_

_Sugar__  
Man! _

_Marley__  
I feel like a woman!_

The five girls run about the classroom, twirling and dancing around. Marley started feeling a whole lot better and started to giggle throughout the song.

_Marley and Kitty  
__The best thing about being a woman  
Is the prerogative to have a little fun_

Marley jumped onto a table and started rocking her head around. Her sudden enthusiasm brought smiles to all the girls' faces. Their friend was finally having a good day. Or, at least a semi-good day.

_Unique__  
I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel_

_Sugar__  
Man! _

_Unique and Marley__  
__I feel like a woman!_

Marley jumped off the table and landed in Unique's arms. They laughed and laughed, until a class of students walked into the room and stared at them as if they were crazy. And they did look crazy, with the messy hair and all. Sugar had to rush out of the room to avoid the embarrassment.

(line)

**Songs:  
**If I Were A Boy by Beyonce sung by Unique  
Mad World by Tears for Fears sung by Finn, Sam, Blaine, Ryder, Jake, Artie and Joe  
The Lonely by Christina Perri sung by Marley  
Man, I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain sung by Marley, Unique, Kitty, Tina and Sugar


	7. 7) Moving Out Moving On

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 7  
Moving Out Moving On**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Blaine and Kurt: Blaine tries to woo Kurt back into his life, but Kurt is more interested in another man  
Sam, Artie and Tina: The trio gets advice from their some-what successful seniors

* * *

"Do you even know where we're going?" Tina asked, her eyes darting from her phone to her surroundings every so often.

"Kurt gave me the address not long ago," Blaine said, quickening his pace forward.

"But," Tina said, almost tripping over a crack in the pavement, "Do you know where we are going?"

Blaine shook his head, finally giving in. Sam and Artie quietly followed the duo in front. For Artie, it was just entertaining watching the two bicker.

Sam, who was beginning to feel less eager about Blaine's plan, was starting to question his methods. "You know," he started, "I'm starting to think this isn't going to work."

Blaine whipped around with an annoyed look on his face. "It's gonna work."

"But,"

"Shush," Blaine continue leading them through the bustling city of New York. Sam had trouble navigating Artie around the path as he struggled to catch up with Blaine. Tina was still looking flustered, she was still certain that Blaine had gotten them lost.

"Ah, there it is!" Blaine hopped over to a corner of the street, and there stood a wooden door.

Tina made a move to knock on the door, but Blaine had already slid it open. Apparently, it wasn't locked at all.

"Blaine!" Rachel jumped up from the couch. "Tina! Oh my God, what are you guys doing here?" The Broadway actress rushed over to hug her friends and then dragged them to the couch, greeting Artie and Sam, who had lagged behind.

"It's the weekends, I thought it would be nice to come over," Tina grabbed her bag and pulled it off from her shoulders, setting it down onto the wooden table in front of her.

"Well, I'm sure Santana and Kurt would be pleased to see you guys," Rachel laughed in glee. She offered them a drink and then the five of them started catching up.

"I know Artie's already been offered a place in some Brooklyn film school, right?" Rachel asked, "What about the rest of you?"

"Well, I'm thinking about going to NYADA," Blaine stated. He had expressed interest in applying there before, so it was no surprise to Rachel.

"You know it's really hard to get it, right?" Rachel gave him a sympathetic look, "I only got in thanks to Tina, and Kurt because of me. It's not easy to get a second chance."

"Well," Blaine tried to place his words humbly, "I hope I'll get in the first chance then." He had wanted to say that he would definitely get in the first time, but that was way too arrogant of him.

"I'm actually planning to try out too," Tina butted in, "I've already applied to some universities, and I've been offered a place by three schools, but they were just back-ups."

Tina put down her tea and continued, "I'm really aiming for Brown University, or NYADA of course. Getting into either would really be a miracle."

"Yeah, all these schools are so hard to get into," Rachel leaned back onto her chair.

Suddenly the wooden door slid open again and in comes Kurt and Adam. Just one look at Kurt's face and everyone could tell that he wasn't thrilled to see Blaine at all.

"Wow, are got a whole party here today, eh?" Adam smiled, walking in and taking a seat beside Sam. "Adam Crawford, pleasure to meet you all."

The four New Direction members introduced themselves to Adam, all but Blaine instantly liking him.

"You've just got a pleasant aura or something," Tina mused.

"Thank you," Adam giggled at the supposed compliment.

Blaine coughed and looked towards Artie with determined eyes. Artie, who had been sipping his tea rather quietly, placed it down and darted his eyes around.

"Erm," he nervously started, "We actually came prepared with a performance we wanted to show you guys." His words was so mumbled and choppy, it got Kurt all suspicious.

"Nothing more enjoyable than a musical performance on a Saturday afternoon, is there?" Adam scooted over to make way for the four to move out.

"Yeah, er," Sam laughed nervously, "It was one of the numbers we were preparing for Glee club, but... er..."

"Drama, you know," Tina spoke, way too quickly, "It's New Directions." She laughed. And Rachel giggled along.

The three of them knew that this was a bad idea. Kurt had already suspected that something was up.

"We should wait for Santana," Rachel suggested.

"Wait for me for what?" Santana squeezed through the wooden door, which she only opened slightly. She hung her coat onto the rack beside it before actually getting a good look around the room. "What are you four idiots doing here?"

"They said they prepared a performance, isn't that great?" Adam exclaimed in excitement. Kurt drooped deeper into his couch as he heard this. Blaine had been looking at him the entire time and he just didn't want to see anymore of Blaine's tactics to get him back.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Santana walked to the Kitchen to pour herself a drink, "It's bad enough I'm in a band called Pamela Lansbury, but now I have to hear Nude Erection music again?"

"What's that?" Adam turned to Kurt, who just shook his head.

"You're in a band?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, Kurt over here started one," Santana raised a glass to the already embarrassed looking kid, "It's just him, me, me girl Dani, Adam over here, and some guy called Elliot."

"Pamela Lansbury?" Sam looked confused.

"Also known as Gaytown," Santana smiled, dropping down beside Rachel. "Just get this whole song thing over with, okay? I want to enjoy my Saturday."

The four senior New Direction members looked at each other. The appearance of Santana definitely did not work in their favour. Even after a year, she was still nasty.

"Well," Blaine bit his lip, "We're just singing a song from The Wanted called Show Me Love..."

"Oh, I love that song!" Adam burst out.

"If you like it so much, why don't you join them?" Kurt asked, but Adam didn't catch his sarcasm at all. He was way too optimistic for dark things like that.

Adam walked up beside Artie and gleamed. He then asked Artie which part he should sing. This was an even bigger blow to Blaine's plan, who was beginning to look more anxious. And Kurt, who was so annoyed and pissed off, he had to push his head into a pillow.

_Blaine  
__You should've known I love you  
Though I'll never say it too much_

Santana had to stifle a laugh, because she knew exactly what was going on. Kurt just couldn't bear to look, but he had to as he didn't want to be rude.

_Blaine  
__Now I'm lost in the distance  
You look at me like a stranger  
Cause how it looks right now to me  
Is you're scared of the danger_

_Blaine and Sam  
__I could've shown you America  
All the __bright lights__ of the universe_

Blaine had been looking at Kurt the entire time, but he gave nothing in return. Kurt was just staring at the floor, not giving Blaine the attention he wanted. Rachel on the other hand was gripping Kurt so tightly that Kurt couldn't even leave if he wanted to.

_Blaine  
__All you had to do was show me love_

Kurt let out a little laugh at this part, but immediately caught himself. Blaine, hurt, moved into the background. Kurt felt bad for him at that moment, but then it was Adam's turn to sing and Kurt finally felt himself enjoying the song due to Adam's soulful tone of voice.

_Adam  
__It means I'll fight for the things that are worth it  
If it makes me feel complete_

_Artie  
__Cause I'm hitting rocks, and I'm taking shots  
I'm prepared to lose everything I've got_

_Adam and Tina  
__Now I'm lost in the distance  
You look at me like a stranger  
Cause how it looks right now to me_

_Tina  
__Nothing can save us_

As soon as Blaine and Sam started singing the chorus again, Santana finally looses it. She burst out laughing, accidentally hitting down her glass of water, spilling it all over the floor. Rachel jumped up and yelled. She ran to grab a towel and begin wiping the floor. Everyone scrambled to help, except Blaine, who was just left there feeling lost and defeated.

**Glee**

The food served at Callbacks was mediocre at best. Yet, Rachel, Kurt and Santana seem to go there all the time. The last of them dragged there by the other two all the time. This time, the seven friends sat among the colourful banners draped around the aromatic bar. Blaine had already taken his seat on the piano at the stage, wanting to play and sing a song for Kurt, who could not be more unsupportive of it.

"He's singing All Of Me by John Legend," Artie explained, "He thought you would feel touched."

Kurt went back to sipping his drink. He could not believe the lengths Blaine has gone just to get his attention.

"So, you're working full time at Vogue now?" Tina asked casually, fully aware that all of them were ignoring Blaine's song but didn't want to be the only one paying attention.

"It was either that or continuing at NYADA," Kurt said, "And Ms Tibideaux told me to go. It was a better opportunity for me anyway."

"Yeah yeah, good opportunity for you. Come get me when you two are back to being losers," Santana snapped, flinging her serviette onto the table and making her way to the restroom.

"What's with her?" Sam looked on as Santana left.

"Ignore her," Rachel swivelled around in her seat. "You, know, Tina? I've been thinking."

Tina looked at her in surprise.

"Why don't you try out for that acting school Finn tried for? You wanted to be an actor right? Not saying that you won't get into NYADA, of course, but..."

Tina let out a little laugh, "If Finn couldn't get in, what makes you think I can?"

"It's just to try. I mean, they're one of the few who are still accepting applications, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Tina trailed off.

Sam butted in, "Yeah, you can also ask Finn for some advice. He already auditioned for it once."

"That's really not a good idea," Artie warned, cutting Sam off. Realisation dawned on Sam's face and he shut up about it.

Amidst all her busyness, Rachel had completely forgotten about what happened between Tina and Finn. She could not ask them at BreadStix the other time, because everyone was there. "So, what's going on between you and Finn?"

"It's nothing," Tina muttered. "I hate you," she breathed to Sam, "learn to shut your mouth."

"I can't help it, I have a big mouth," Sam moaned, looking down at his shoes.

"Okay," Rachel wasn't satisfied with the answer at all, but that had to do.

"So, Sam," Kurt piped up from his silence. He felt like he had a duty to ease the tension now. "What are you planning to do?"

Sam pursed his gigantic lips together. He had no idea.

"He had this idea of becoming a model here," Blaine appeared from behind Sam. Blaine grabbed a seat. He was visibly annoyed that none of his friends had been listening to his song. Kurt seemed to have dismissed it completely. "I assume Adam isn't joining us today?"

"He's got something to work on for the Adam's Apples." Kurt turned away, not wanting to look at Blaine at all. Although he just did that to send a message.

"You mean the group he kicked you out of?"

"If you had been paying any attention to anything I've been saying all night, instead of doing ridiculous crap just to get me back," Kurt snapped back, "maybe you would've known that I'm not in NYADA anymore!" Kurt got up from his seat and walked towards the door.

**Glee**

"You know, it's like we're being dragged by Blaine to anywhere he wants to go," Artie whispered to Tina and Sam.

"Yeah, I actually want to go sightseeing a bit," Sam complained, "see what we missed the last time we were here."

"You didn't miss much actually," Rachel hung an arm around Sam, saying, "sometimes this place is just plain boring."

Rachel, Artie, Sam and Tina followed behind Blaine, who had been walking so fast that he kept disappearing into the sea of people. None of them had bothered to ask him to slow down, because he wouldn't. He was determined to talk to Kurt after he had embarrassed him earlier on.

The four just continued talking about their future. Rachel was one of the few who managed to achieve her dream, so she felt that she could help the others too. She gave Sam a lot of advice about his career in modelling, but he seemed very half-hearted about it.

"I just want to get home to my family after high school first, ya know?" Sam said. He had been away from his family for almost half a year now and is beginning to really miss them. He had gone back for some of the holidays, but the situation at home hasn't gotten much better for his family. Paying for rent was still a struggle.

"You're living with Blaine now, right?" Rachel asked, "maybe he knows what to do."

"Right," Artie mused, "because Blaine is definitely in the right state of mind to help people."

Artie slid the door to Rachel's apartment right open. And in there, the sight of Blaine and Kurt singing together greeted their eyes.

"Oh, what the hell," Artie murmured.

_Kurt and Blaine  
__But if we get much closer  
I could lose control  
And if your heart surrenders  
You'll need me to hold_

_We are strong  
No one can tell us we're wrong  
Searchin' our hearts for so long  
Both of us knowing  
Love is a battlefield_

"How far were we behind Blaine?" Tina asked.

"You two okay?" Rachel cautiously moved into her apartment, slowly setting down her bag.

"Yeah," Kurt smiled at her, "where's Santana?"

Rachel turned back and screamed, "Oh shoot!" She dashed back out into the city, looking frantic.

Artie, Sam and Tina moved aside for her to go through and then walked into the house.

"You guys don't need to looked so scared," Blaine waved their worry expressions away, "we're okay."

"Blaine understands," Kurt explained, "I hope." Kurt smacks a magazine onto Blaine's head lightly.

The trio was still dumbfounded. "All that in, like, 10 seconds?" Tina exclaimed. Blaine's a stubborn fella, and the fact that he had changed his mind about pursuing Kurt after a few seconds with Kurt was appalling.

"It wasn't that short!" Kurt laughed, wondering why Tina would make such an assumption.

"But..." Artie trailed off, not wanting to go any further.

"Look," Kurt got up and turned to them, "I just agreed that if anything were to happen to Adam and I," Kurt bent down to knock twice on his wooden table, "I'd give Blaine another chance."

"And Blaine accepted that?" Sam asked, scratching his hip.

Blaine gave him a puzzled look.

"This is just so unbelievable, I thought we would spend the whole weekend with this crap," Sam heaved a sigh of relief and plopped down onto the couch. "You got any beer?"

"No," Kurt turned to the bedrooms, offering them a place to sleep for the night. "You're leaving tomorrow, right? Blaine told me you're going to be searching for a new member."

"Seriously, how long were we gone?" Tina whispered to Artie, flinging her arms wildly in front of her.

"Yeah, we're short of one for Nationals," Sam coughed, "there's plenty of applicants but we rather have one crazy talented one then a bunch of useless hoes."

"Sam!" Tina smacked him on the head.

"I agree with that actually," Kurt walked back from the kitchen holding a pitcher of what looked like carrot juice.

For a while before Rachel and Santana returned, the latter of which was complaining of being ditched, the five teenagers talked about their future. But it became apparent that Blaine was still trying to get Kurt back right now. He kept cracking jokes and trying to keep Kurt entertained. Frankly, Kurt was the only one he even talked to throughout the conversations.

"You seeing what I'm seeing?" Artie leaned in towards Sam and Tina. Both nodded in agreement. Artie leaned back further into his wheelchair and propped his head up with an arm. "This is going to be a long weekend."

* * *

**Author's Comments:** I hate writing Klaine stuff so much :( Hence the really rushed and lousy resolution like any Glee episode ever (throwing shade to Glee writers). Hehe.

**Songs:  
**Show Me Love (America) by The Wanted sung by Blaine, Artie, Sam, Tina and Adam  
All Of Me by John Legend sung by Blaine  
Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar sung by Blaine and Kurt


	8. 8) Recruit

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 8  
Recruit**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Tina and Artie: As the most experienced seniors, Finn tasks them to find them a new member  
Finn, Marley and Jake: Finn tries to settle the differences between the two, worried that their relationship may cost them Nationals

* * *

Marley hugged her books tightly to her chest. Going to Glee practice nowadays seem like a battle. They've been rehearsing every single day for Nationals with breaks in between to just relax and sing whatever they like. Today was one of those days, the relaxing days. But that's even worse because it's harder to avoid Jake. After their whole dispute a week ago, she had requested for him not to be her partner in an Nationals routine. Finn had agreed, so they were always far apart during rehearsals.

_Tina and Artie  
__Sweet love's showin' us a heavenly light  
I've never seen such a beautiful sight  
See love glowing on us every night  
I know forever we'll be doing it_

She entered the room, listening to the bubbly voices of two friends who have settled their differences. On Monday, Principal Sylvester had told them that only one of them could be valedictorian. They then went on this whole Cold War 2.0 thing which finally ended on Thursday, yesterday. Even though the resolution was pretty weird, with Blaine becoming valedictorian, and the two joining forces to hate him instead of each other...

_Tina  
__Everywhere we are  
You and I were meant to be  
Forever and ever_

_Artie  
__I think about the times to come  
Knowin' I will be the lucky one_

Marley chose a seat farthest away from Jake. She then sat there silently watching Tina and Artie's performance, secretly jealous that they could forgive each other so quickly. She stole a glance at Jake, who seemed to be putting as much effort, if not more, as Marley to not look at the other. Ryder's sitting beside him, whispering words to him every now and then.

"Artie, Tina," Finn called out, "Can I see you for a moment?"

Tina slung her arm around Artie and made their way to Finn, who was by the piano.

"Blaine!" Finn called out suddenly, "rehearsal!" Blaine nodded and drove every other member of the Glee club into formation for their prepared song 'America'.

"What'up?" Artie smiled cheekishly.

"Mr. Schuester's gonna be back in a week," Finn said, "and he's expecting New Directions to be back up to full strength."

"So you want us to be in charge of finding a new member," Tina continued on Finn's words, "Why can't we just find one of the better auditions from the start of the year?"

"Yeah, I mean, we had quite a few good ones and Mr. Schuester only picked one," Artie said.

"Although we needed four," Tina hung her head down so Finn wouldn't hear her.

But Finn must have caught wind of that because he gave Tina a tired look. "Look, we just need one more member. Maybe come up with a fun number while I'm not around. I have stuff going on in college so..."

"Count on us then," Tina laughed. She pat Finn on the back. Really low on the back, considering their height difference, and then wheeled Artie around to address the crowd.

After telling New Directions about the plan, the group started working on a number to attract the crowd. Artie, in particular, had doubts over the whole scenario. The Glee club had tried enticing potential members with performances before. The first ended up in song bans, the second only had two people paying attention and the third led to an all-out food war with flying pasta. While the members brain-stormed for songs, Finn called Marley over.

"So," Finn dragged her to a corner of the room, "what's going on with you and Jake? I don't wanna pry, but it's getting kinda hard to deal with."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Marley dug her fingers into her arms as if she was ashamed of something.

"Look, I just want this to be settled. I know it's hard but you two really need to talk it out."

Marley turned her head around and stared at Jake who was still within the group. He doesn't seem to be contributing much and is just spacing out. She let out a sigh and turned back to Finn. "We'll stop by Ohio college tomorrow afternoon, is that okay?"

Finn smiled, "Don't force yourselves, but thanks."

Marley nodded and headed back into the discussion group.

**Glee**

"What is it he wants to talk about?" Jake moaned as he followed Marley down the hall of dorms.

Marley checked the number of each, carefully making sure they don't miss the door.

"It should be this one," Marley whispered to herself and knocked on the door.

"Jake!" Noah Puckerman's voice rang as he opened the door. Puck beamed and grabbed Jake, forcing him into the room.

Finn looked up from his laptop and greeted the pair. Marley closed the door behind her, feeling a wee bit left out.

"Heard ya got some girl trouble," Puck bellowed, "That's not what a Puckerman should have."

"You got Quinn freaking pregnant," Finn laughed, slapping Puck on the back, "And then Zizes dumped your ass a year after that."

"Don't remind me of that," Puck slammed back onto his bed.

Marley sat onto a nearby chair and looked silently onto the ground.

"Finn, if you really need to know the details," Marley seems disinterested in the conversation she was about to start, "Jake cheated on me with Bree."

Finn didn't look at all surprised. Tina had already told him everything. His initial reaction was not one to show Marley anyway, he was very annoyed about all the couple drama that had happened to him over his years in High School.

"Not cool, man," Puck said to Jake.

"Like Finn said, you shouldn't even be a judge in this kind of situation," Jake replied coldly.

"For the record," Finn slumped into his chair, "I'm not some guidance counsellor, so I won't be able to help you with your relationship status."

Marley finally took her eyes off the ground. Finally, someone who may have something she wants to hear. She wasn't interested with getting back with Jake. What Jake did was inexcusable and Jake knew that too, but he hasn't even apologized. Not that an apology would mean much anyway.

"But you guys know so much about each other, you liked each other," Finn shrugged his shoulders, "don't let one thing just ruin whatever friendship you had before."

Jake gulped down and lifted his head. "I don't want this coldness either."

"It sucks," Marley agreed, "but..."

"You can't just forgive him about it. I know, I felt the same way with Puck too four years ago."

Puck raised his head in defiance but Finn continued, "Despite that, it's childish to just ignore each other. Having nothing to do with the other? That's plain stupid. And it wastes time and effort, because there's no winner in this."

"Yeah," Puck finally said, "you both already know the situation. From what I know, both of you are kinda guilty about something."

Marley shot him a look of pure hatred, making Puck rethink his words. "Some more than others," he added.

"Just, take one step further, okay? What's the point of hating. That feeling of betrayal, it doesn't go away. But you can choose to move on. Quickly."

Marley held her breathe, releasing it slowly while processing what Finn said.

"Nationals is coming up," Jake murmured. He had his shoulders hung forward, slouching into his knees.

"Fine," Marley said, "Let's just pretend nothing happened."

"Don't do that, that never works," Finn warned, "just, accept that it happened and move on."

"You say it like it's so simple," Puck laughed.

"I came to Sectionals, didn't I?" Finn flicked a pen at his friend.

Jake got up from the bed and thanked Finn, walking out of the room. Very suddenly.

Puck looked confused, and then excused himself to catch up with his brother.

"What was that about?" Finn asked, appearing as confused as Puck was.

"He has pride," Marley sighed. She gave Finn a hug before slowly walking out of the room.

**Glee**

"Never thought I'd see you in that white tux again," Artie held back a giggle.

"Shut up," Tina said, slapping him with her white hat, "this was a stupid idea from Blaine. Smart, but stupid."

"Everyone loves Michael Jackson, Tina," Artie smiled, "plus it's an excuse to reuse some of the costumes."

"I know, that's why I said it was smart. Not s smart to let your girlfriend wear Quinn's costume, though. She's been fawning over it the hole day," Tina pointed towards Kitty, who, until now, was still taking pictures of herself in Quinn's dress.

"Showtime!" Blaine shouted, gathering the members of the Glee club into position.

_Blaine  
__I said you wanna be startin' somethin'  
You got to be startin' somethin'  
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'  
You got to be startin' somethin'_

_Jake (Marley and Tina)  
__Too high to get over (Yeah, Yeah)  
You're too low to get under (Yeah, Yeah)_

_Ryder (Marley and Tina)__  
__You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, Yeah)__  
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, Yeah)_

Throughout the dance, the members of New Directions kept looking towards the crowd, looking for a reaction. Tina noted that almost everyone seem to be enjoying it, which was kinda expected since they have built up quite the meaningful reputation after last year's first-place-finish. There were a few disinterested people, but you can't please anymore. Unlike two years back, where there was only two people paying attention, there were many, so they definitely could not hope to identify one individual to join New Directions this time around.

Maybe auditions would be necessary, Tina thought. But she definitely would not want to sit through hearing untalented people sing again. Some didn't even sing.

_Artie and Tina  
__Lift your head up high  
And scream out to the world  
I know I am someone  
And let the truth unfurl_

_Blaine and Marley  
__No one can hurt you now  
Because you know it's true  
Yes, I believe in me  
So you believe in you!_

_Blaine  
__Help me sing it!_

Right after that moment, everyone knew that this was their time to really draw attention from the crowd. Singing was one thing, but Blaine had ordered everyone to do a little dance solo for this segment. Obviously, no one was keen except Unique, whose dance was something no one would ever want to see. Kitty went first and Jake went last to at least leave an impression that they were good.

_New Directions  
__Ma ma se, ma ma se, ma ma coo sa!  
Ma ma se, ma ma se, ma ma coo sa!  
Ma ma se, ma ma se, ma ma coo sa!  
Ma ma se, ma ma se, ma ma coo sa!_

"We're so screwed," Tina whispered to Artie. But this 'screwed' wasn't like previous years. In previous years, they always had the lack of choices to add to their club, this time they have too many. Principal Sylvester had announced that they were accepting members, and many in the crowd seem interested now. Damn our talent, Tina thought.

**Glee**

"I hate you so much, you know that," Artie moaned.

"I thought we've moved on from that," Tina laughed and grabbed the sheet from Artie. The signup sheet was filled with sixty-six names. They had hoped for less, of course. This wasn't flattery anymore, this was just how much work they had to do.

"Everyone," Artie stated, with the most angst he could muster, "Everybody sucked." He leaned onto the arm of his wheelchair, defeated.

"You've only went through like, half the list," Tina complained. She looked through all the names crossed-out on the list. "Who's Suqmipy Neiss? Is that Malay or something?"

"That's a joke," Artie wheeled away, "well, the rest is yours."

Before Tina could argue, Artie turned a corner and was nowhere to be seen. "Fine, I'll just throw this to Blaine." Unlike herself and Artie, Blaine would actually enjoy doing this. But Finn had tasked this to them, and not Blaine. That just showed his trust towards the two original members of the club. And she wouldn't ever want to admit it, but she wants to impress Finn.

Tina bit her lips, confused. She doesn't want to do it, but she knows that Artie and her should be the one to complete this daunting task. "Oh, whatever," Tina walked over to Artie's locker and threw the signup sheet in. "It's a blessing I still remember your combination."

"Tina!" Blaine came rushing to her, with Sam slowly catching up behind him. "Choir room now."

"What?" was all Tina could muster before the two dragged her to the room nearby. Everyone was in the room, with the exception of Artie.

"We can't wait for Artie," Kitty said, pulling a chair for Tina to sit down, as they were all sitting in a circle. "Okay, Joe, what is it?"

"I heard Vocal Adrenaline was going to be in Ohio for awhile, and Sugar and I saw them the other day," Joe started, before he was cruelly interrupted by Unique.

"Yeah, we used to do that, it's kind of a tradition to do some sort of tour so we could familiarise ourselves with any stage," Unique seem to felt the need to share her knowledge. She was from Vocal Adrenaline the year before anyway, so she should know.

Joe tried to continue, but was again so rudely interrupted by Tina, "Did they see you?! You two were in the winning team last year!"

"Of course not, doofus," Sugar whined, "we're like ninjas." Sugar seemed to take pride in whatever she just said. She really isn't good at conversing at all.

"Anyway," Joe, finally able to start up again, "we managed to grab some information. Unique, you were telling us about that Jean Baptiste you hated last year, right? Well, he's the new vocal lead."

"That guy?" Unique's eyes widened, "okay, we are sc-re-ewed. His voice may be a needle in my ear but he can sing for nuts."

Ryder cringed, "But you're better than him, right? That's why you were the lead vocalist last year."

"No, I was only lead vocalist in Sectionals because he came down with some Dengue crap," Unique waved the compliment off, "And then because of the whole transgendered story. I had Kurt and Mercedes to thank for that. But him, he's all talent."

"I'm betting he's a bitch," Kitty muttered.

"That's not all though," Joe continued, "they sang like five songs at the make-up stage near BreadStix..."

"They can't use that!" Tina screamed, albeit too loudly.

"They did," patiently, Joe persevered to continue his story, "but I'm not finished. They had another two members that sang as well."

"Oh, what the hell!" Unique gasped in surprise, "I'm sorry, please continue."

"I think they're brother and sister. The girl had short hair with a long fringe, with a deep voice."

"And the guy was like super hawt," exasperated Sugar.

Unique looked at them, confused, "I don't remember any girl with short hair with deep voice. Or anyone who looked alike."

"Yeah, two vocalists other than the lead vocalist? That's not Vocal Adrenaline's style," Blaine bit his lips.

Before they could continue, Artie wheeled through the door. "What's with this gathering without me? Nevermind that, Tina! Get your ass here now."

Tina widened her eyes with fear towards the other members. She left, leaving the rest perplexed over Artie's aggressive tone.

"What?"

"Good news and bad news. Bad news, I'm going to kill you," Artie held up the signup sheet.

"Artie, I'm sorry," although she didn't really mean it.

"Good news is that I found someone. Aylin Bayramoglu."

"Who's that?"

"Someone with a killer voice, that's who. Come on."

Artie lead the way into an empty classroom beside the McKinley trophy display shelves. There in the room, sat a girl with dark skin and brown skin. She was slightly taller than Tina, which would make her kind of short.

"So, you're Aylin?" Tina greeted her cheerfully. Aylin did look promising.

"Oh my God! Tina Cohen-Chang!" Aylin jumped up in excitement. She ran to shake Tina's hand. "Your cover of ABC in Sectionals last year was amazing!"

"Oh!" Tina turned to Artie, mouthing 'good-job'. "So, I assume you're a sophomore?"

"Oh, no, I'm a freshman. My Mum just brought me to watch because I love music so much."

Artie butted in between the two ladies, "Well, Aylin, flattery won't get you anywhere. Not with me, at least." Artie turned to Tina and shook his head. "Here's the song sheet, show Tina and I what you got. I'm sure she'll enjoy your voice."

"Sure thing. So, I'll just sing the highlighted parts?"

_Artie  
__Your lights are on but you're not home  
Your mind is not your own  
Your heart sweats, your body shakes  
Another kiss is what it takes_

_Tina  
__Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff  
oh yeah_

_Tina and Aylin  
__It's closer to the truth to say 'can't get enough'_

"Oh, that's your line? I'm sorry!" Aylin burst out, covering her mouth in shame.

"No, no, it's a duet line, just sing!" Artie pushed.

_Aylin  
__Might as well face it, you're addicted to love  
Might as well face it, you're addicted to love  
Might as well face it, you're addicted to love  
Might as well face it, you're addicted to love_

_Artie  
__Might as well, wo-oh, yeah_

"I love your belts," Tina looked at Aylin in surprise. She was good, very good.

"Thanks!" Aylin blushed.

Tina looked at Artie for awhile. Artie nodded.

"Welcome to New Directions!" Tina screamed, as Aylin joined in. The both hug and Artie clapped for her.

**Glee**

"Guys, I would like to introduce you to our newest member," Tina walked into the choir room with pride. She wrapped her arm around Aylin's as if she was a trophy to be proud of. Artie just followed them silently from behind, carefully observing Tina while stifling laughter. "This is Aylin! She's Turkish Muslim and very conservative."

Her last few words were spoken so enthusiastically, it left everyone including Aylin confused.

"Hi," was all Aylin could get out.

Finn, who had, for some reason, a black magician hat with him, left it on the piano and welcomed Aylin. After a faint exchange of greetings, Aylin went to take a seat with the crowd. Although, Marley took notice that she went straight to sit beside Jake.

"Hi, I'm Aylin."

"Jake," he wanted to sound firm but his voice gave way as he was slightly intimidated by her presence.

"That's a horribly cute name," Aylin blushed.

"Alright! Time to get down to business," Finn wrote Aylin's name down on a piece of paper and tossed it into the hat. "It's time to pick your duet partners."

After being asked by Aylin, Jake filled her in on Finn's plan to find unexpected duet partners. So, Finn planned to make everyone sing with a random person, in hopes of finding hidden chemistry between members of the Glee club.

"I hope I pick you," Aylin laughed, much to Jake's discomfort. Marley too, since she was just sitting a few seats away.

"You look jealous," Unique teased her.

"I hope I get you or Ryder," Marley whispered back, ignoring Unique's comment. Though it was plain obvious to Unique that she wanted Jake.

As the winner of the last competition Finn held, Tina went up first. She dramatically placed her hand into the hat and pulled up a piece of paper.

"Stop doing it like Effie and just open the paper!" Kitty mocked.

"Fine," Tina opened the piece of paper, "Jake!"

Finn guided Jake and Tina to a side of the room, where they stood together. The two seem comfortable together, they had sang duets before during the school musical of Grease. Although 'Mooning' wouldn't be a song suitable for Nationals, this would be their chance to discover more about their vocal chemistry. On the other hand, both Aylin and Marley look disappointed.

"Oh, you so want to duet with him again," Unique laughed, and then went up second. She picked the neatest folded piece of paper and opened it. "Kitty!"

"Well, that's new," Finn said, satisfied. The first pairing was far from new, but this was fresh. "Erm, who wants to go next? Blaine?"

Blaine came up to the front. "Sugar."

The name was met with disappointment and frustration from both Blaine and Sugar.

Marley walked up next, "Sam." Although not one she had ever thought of, she was happy with the result.

"Okay, Aylin, why don't you come and pick." Aylin came down, following Finn's orders and dug her hand into the hat. She pulled out a piece of paper with Tina's name, which Finn discarded, and then one with Ryder's name.

She seemed satisfied with her choice, saying "hot" before leaving to grab Ryder and drag him to the side where all the other pairs were.

"That leaves Artie and Joe," Finn announced and looked at the pairs. "Unique and Kitty, Sam and Marley, Aylin and Ryder, you guys will perform next Wednesday. And Tina and Jake, Artie and Joe, Blaine and Sugar, you guys will perform next Thursday. Everyone happy?"

"Yes," most of them replied.

"Okay, then! Let's get to rehearsing. Ryder, could you help Aylin, please?"

* * *

**Author's comment:** Yes, I'm adding Aylin from TGP2 :) And I'm going to add Michael and Nellie soon. They've already been mentioned so... 2 chapters later, if I follow through with my plan! I'm excited to write Michellie in. I adore them. Next episode may take awhile, but the next 2 may come together (well, closer dates)

**Songs:  
**Whenever I Call You Friend by Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks sung by Tina and Artie  
Wanna Be Startin' Something by Michael Jackson sung by Blaine, Artie, Ryder, Jake, Marley and Tina  
Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer sung by Tina, Artie and Aylin


	9. 9) Random Partners

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 9  
Random Partners**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Unique and Kitty: The two struggle to find a suitable song  
Sam and Marley: Sam relates to Marley's situation with Jake  
Aylin and Ryder: Ryder gets annoyed with Aylin's consistent flirting

* * *

Unique jumped onto Kitty's bed. It wasn't too unfamiliar to her, she had slept over at Kitty's place before. Unbeknownst to her, this was the exact place where Marley began to nauseate herself.

"Well, it's not like our voices don't go together," Unique cried out, "we've sang plenty of songs together before."

"Not alone though," Kitty was leaning downwards, staring at her computer. She had neglected her chair and was standing in such a position that her butt was staring straight at Unique.

Unique leaned back to lie down on Kitty's bed. It was much softer than her own.

"How about," Unique lifted a finger, "Diamonds by Rihanna. I mean, we would rock that song."

"I hate that song."

Kitty continued scrolling through the songs in Unique's folder. All the songs she had recommended, which was just 4 songs to be precise, had been shot down by Unique. But Unique felt the same way too. Kitty had scrolled through her songs about five times and still had not conceded into choosing any.

"This is hopeless," Kitty slammed her Mac book shut and finally takes a seat on a chair.

Unique got up from her position and frowned. They've been at this for about two hours and they still could not find a song to sing.

"Why did Finn have to give us the first day," Kitty swirled around in her chair, "Mr. Schuester would put all the seniors first and us at the back. Or at least Blaine first."

"Oh, stop whining, Mr. Schuester's moving to New York soon. And we won't be seeing anymore of him soon," Unique said, "so stop your lust for him."

"Oh, how about Crush?" Kitty had a stroke of inspiration. She had always loved that song, and think that they could do it justice.

"The song? Hell no, it sucks."

"This is exactly why this week's theme is stupid. Unexpected pairs," Kitty sighed, "they don't duet for a friggin reason."

"Speaking of crush, how are you and Artie?"

Kitty threw her phone towards Unique, giving her the authority to sift through her messages.

"Nothing much, to be honest," Kitty said humbly, "not much to tell, not much to hear."

"What about after graduation?" Unique placed the phone down carefully on the bed, "I can't imagine being in that kind of situation!"

"You haven't even dated before."

Unique scowled at her, which then turned into a pout.

"I thought Ryder would've given you a shot," Kitty pulled the scrungie off her hair, letting it flow down gloriously.

Unique rolled around in the bed, "Nah, he wouldn't even give me a shot. Can you blame him though?"

Kitty shook her head, an answer Unique had expected.

"This is a waste of time," Kitty finally said, opening up her bedroom door. "You can show yourself out."

"Oh, the hell? You ain't kicking me out, girl."

"I am. Deal with it," Kitty sat back down and opened her Mac book. She closed the files she had on and passed the thumbdrive back to Unique. She then began doing her own thing, a sign to Unique that Kitty had already given up.

"You know, after throwing that Slushy to my face at the start of the year, I think I get at least a chance to be rude to you," Unique argued, "so I ain't moving."

"I thought being your friend is already more than a pain in that department. Can't that be counted as being rude?"

"I didn't force you to be friends with me," Unique grabbed her chair, "so you can stop acting like you hate me."

Kitty moaned, "Well, at least you're not one of those untouchables in school."

"You classify people in school? Wow, Kitty that's so..." but Unique trailed off, thinking about what Kitty said. "Oh my god, what about Untouched?"

"The song? You like that song?"

"You don't?"

"Of course I do," Kitty got up and faced Unique, "You want to sing that? We can totally do that!"

"Right on, girlfriend!" Unique held out a hand to hi-5 Kitty.

Kitty stared at Unique and took a deep breath. "Don't ever say or do that again."

Unique took a step back and raised out her hands in defeat. "You're the boss."

"Oh, no duh," Kitty closed the tabs on her computer and searched for Untouched on YouTube.

**Glee**

"How about Apologize by Maroon 5? Or any other song..." Sam pondered over the songs he could remember at the top of his head, "What songs did you listen to as a kid?"

"I don't know..." Marley mumbled.

"You've been really down this whole time," Sam pouted at her, "still angry about Jake?"

"I don't get why I still care about him," Marley threw her head backwards, stretching her fingers into the air and she hung her head back. "I know all this complaining is getting very old, but I just can't stop thinking about him."

"Don't worry, it's just a phase."

"But, I do want to think about him. That's the problem."

"That's part of the phase," Sam assured her, placing his guitar onto the ground, resting it on Blaine's desk. "Trust me, I've been there before."

Marley laughed, for the first time since she entered Blaine's house, "is everyone in Glee club that adulterated?"

"Only the special few. I was even used as a beard once."

"Oh, yes!" Marley's giggles pierced the air, it was so sharp and loud, which was surprising for a girl that shy, "Santana told me about that."

At that moment, Blaine's head popped up at the door, "Sorry, guys, mind keeping it down?" Blaine had a phone in his hand, and he seemed pretty annoyed.

"What's with him?" asked Marley.

"He's talking to Sugar," Sam widened his eyes to express his fear, "you know how it's like having to stubborn people together."

The joy was sucked out of Marley's eyes, and she silently agreed with Sam on his point. Sam looked sadly at her. Just knowing what she's going through brings pain to his chest.

"You know, Finn told us to move on," Marley sighed, "I don't think I can do that. Jake seems to already have."

"Oh, no, he hasn't," murmured Sam.

Marley looked at him inquisitively.

"He still likes you in that sorta way, I'm sure you do too. Just don't think about him for awhile. I'm sure you'll get over him."

"Is that what you did with Quinn?"

"Exactly how much did Santana tell you?" Sam scowled. Changing the subject, Sam got Marley back on track to finding a song for their duet. They have quite a lot of songs they like. And that was the problem, there was too many songs to choose from.

"How about Billy Joel?" Sam suggested.

"Yes!" Marley's eyes lit on fire. She had always loved singing his songs. But that only led to more songs to ultimately choose from.

"Wow, that is a whole lot to choose from," Sam said while adding four more songs to their list.

"It was always hard to pick songs with Jake..." Marley pursed her lips together, "I'm glad I got you."

Sam backed away from her, scared of the thought. She had to reassure him that there was no feelings there.

"You're like a brother to me."

Sam smiled, and took a long hard look at the list. He took out his pen and started cancelling out a few. After a half hour, they still have ten songs to choose from.

"This is exhausting," Marley commented, prepared to give up. But there was just nine more to cross of.

"Why don't we just sing each one of them and see which one suits us best?" Sam shrugged his shoulders. Marley didn't seem to have a problem with that, so they chose a random one off the list first. Sam picked up his guitar and they started singing.

_Sam__  
I'm wasting my time  
I got nothing to do  
I'm hanging around  
I'm waiting for you  
But nothing ever happens and I wonder_

_Marley and Sam  
__I wonder how  
I wonder why  
Yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky  
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree_

"Sam, Marley," Blaine popped into the room.

"What?" Sam looked up, slightly annoyed that Blaine had interrupted their practice.

"Sugar and some New Directions members will be here soon. Some can't make it but, at least it's better with most of you here."

"Wait, why?" Marley was taken aback.

"Tina just walked past Vocal Adrenaline at the mall. She talked to Jean Baptiste."

"What?" The two shouted together.

"Apparently he recognised her, they're coming over now."

**Glee**

"Hey, Blaine, got your text," Finn said, he looked just as confused as everyone when he walked through the door.

Sugar followed swiftly behind Finn, as if they had been walking to Blaine's house the entire time together. She munched on her apple, and continuously complained about Blaine using this as an excuse to discuss the duet face to face with her.

"Geez, we're not performing so soon, just chillax," Sugar threw her apple at Blaine. Disgusted, Blaine quickly flung it into the rubbish bin.

Sam, Marley, Ryder, Aylin, Tina, Sugar and Finn had arrived at Blaine's house. Unique and Kitty were busy preparing their duet, and Artie and Joe seemed to be MIA, possibly for the same reason. Jake had declined the invitation no matter how many times Blaine pestered him to come.

"Okay, since this is everyone selfless who bothers coming," Tina started.

"Don't be rude to them, I gave them a task, it's only fair they would want to complete it first," Finn smiled at her, trying not to get on her bad side, but still he felt that he had the responsibility to defend them.

"Whatever," Sugar croaked, "if they aren't here, but I am, they are just so lazy."

"Finn's right, I'm sorry," Tina stuttered.

Sam looked at her in bewilderment. She had never backed down from an argument so quickly before, yet alone apologized when she was wrong. Many around the room seemed to have felt the same, as they returned the same expression.

"So, what did you see? Or would you like us to wait for the Ice Age to start again?" Sugar took another apple out of her bag and started rubbing it with her hands.

"Well, as you know, Unique has told us that Vocal Adrenaline would be staying here for awhile, but it's not just awhile," Tina paused for dramatic effect, "they're staying here until Nationals start."

"What? Why?" Blaine burst out.

"It's not all that surprising if you think about it," Finn thought aloud, his hand carefully rubbing his jaw. "They would want to scare their biggest competition."

"Biggest competition?" Aylin gasped. She had not realised until now that she was among National winners. "Oh, gosh, this is so cool."

"So, what? They can stay here all they want, it's not like it's going to matter," Ryder commented.

Tina sighed, "You're not getting the point. Four years ago, Vocal Adrenaline targeted us as enemies during Regionals, and they beat the crap out of us. We don't want that position again."

"Yeah, but Jean isn't Jessie," Finn said, "we'll have a chance, we just don't have to give in to their threats."

"You mean, don't watch them perform, right?" Marley asked.

Blaine raised his hand to get attention. "We just don't have to pay attention when they try to intimidate us at all these public places. It's like they are choosing spots most people would go to so that we would actually see them."

"In other words," Tina carried on, "don't get out of your house."

"What?!" Ryder screamed. He then murmured a 'sorry'.

"You guys didn't see what I saw," Tina said worriedly, "if it was any of you there instead of me, you would be freaking out."

"They were that good huh?" Ryder buried his head in his hands.

"This doesn't matter," Finn spoke up confidently, he took a look at the anxious faces around the room. "We're just as good as them. They can throw anything they want at us, we are stronger than that. Because we know we are better. We're National Champs, guys."

"So are they," Sam whispered to Marley.

"Tee, could you, give us more details about them?" Blaine was curious about them now. He's usually the only one who will really evaluate the enemy. Even Mr. Schuester don't do that. But Blaine always feel that the New Directions overestimate themselves, they had to put in a lot of effort if they want to win.

"Well, Joe and Sugar were right," Tina said, with Sugar giving a little bow, "three leads. That Jean guy was singing most of the song though. And he's a total jerk."

"We've never met one who was nice, anyway," Sam sighed.

"Why are they being so passive about their intimidation though?" Aylin asked. She immediately regret asking, because the others just stared at her, confused. But then they began questioning it as well. And Aylin's question seemed to have cast everyone in a dome of worry.

"Holy crap, she's right," Tina gasped, "they weren't so passive the last time. They came into our auditorium and scared the crap out of us."

"And threw toilet paper everywhere..." Finn grabbed his head, annoyed by the memory. "Look, they can't do that again, and we've overcame it before, we can overcome it again."

"Firstly," Blaine, now being the most anxious one, said, "you, Tina and Artie overcame it, not us. And second, you lost after that, right? Wouldn't we lose now?"

"Our aim is to get to the top 5, guys," Finn said. "Don't worry about the competition, just do the best you can, do it well, and do it great."

"What?" Sugar expressed her annoyance at Finn's utterly ridiculous words.

"They are trying to beat us, we are trying to win, or at least get into the top 5," Finn said, "So, why care about them?"

"Because they're our arch nemesis!" Sam blurted out.

The conversation seemed to go round in circles after that. Finn was trying to calm everyone down, but everyone still seemed worried about Vocal Adrenaline. It's true that Vocal Adrenaline has it out for them, but despite trying all he could to get them to ignore Vocal Adrenaline, Finn could not stop them from discussing about them. Tina and Blaine seemed most worried about the trio leads, because it was new. The rest just seemed like they think they don't have a shot at first place anymore, and the idea of coming in the top 5 is slipping away.

Tina continued recounting her encounter with Jean Baptiste. By the sound of it, she hated that guys guts. "He's a freaking bully," she said. But that's expected, what's the point of being nice when you're trying to scare the competition? By about 7 pm., most of the members left the house.

"Is it always this bad when it comes to your meetings," Aylin joked, clinging onto Ryder's arm as they left the house.

"This was one of the few, I guess," Ryder laughed along. "Hey, have you thought about a song for the task?"

"I have many, but you should choose," Aylin said, hugging Ryder's arm tighter.

Ryder began feeling uncomfortable. Aylin had been clinging onto him ever since they began partners.

"You know, we could just ditch the assignment, do something more... you know."

"No, I don't."

Aylin continued talking to Ryder in weird ways, making Ryder more uncomfortable than he was already. She kept talking and asking questions in such a manner and tone that made it seem like she was making a move on him.

"Erm, Aylin?"

"Yeah?"

Even her 'yeah' sounded so seductive that Ryder couldn't bear to open his mouth again. But he had to.

"Why do you keep acting this way?"

"Acting like what? I'm like this all the time."

"That flirtatious huh?" The words escaped his mouth before he could stop it. But Aylin didn't seem to care about the words at all.

"Why not? It's fun." Aylin shrugged, she had finally stopped saying everything in that seductive tone. Which made Ryder feel at ease, but the fact that she's talking normally also scared him a little.

After walking a while more in silence, Aylin started again. Ryder held his breathe in, he didn't want to tell her to stop because she was new to New Directions and didn't want to scare her off. But there was just a limit he could take.

"Could you stop that, please? I'm getting kinda grossed out."

"Holy crap," Aylin stopped walking, "it's not working on you, is it?"

Ryder looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"The flirting and the throwing of self to you... and then playing hard to get to mess with you afterwards," she explained, as if it was plain obvious.

Ryder felt even more confused, "why would you do that?"

"I don't know, it's fun to mess with guys, you know."

"Really?"

"They mess with me all the time anyway, may as well get back at them," Aylin walked off, at a quickened pace that made Ryder run a bit to make up the distance between them.

"What do you mean?" Ryder asked her.

"Nothing, just nothing," Aylin groaned, "if it doesn't work on you, I'll stop it. I still have Jake for that anyway."

"No," Ryder grabbed her arm so hard she spun around, "What do you mean they mess with you? Like... ra...?"

"What?" Aylin laughed, "no, don't be stupid!"

She then began struggling to get free from Ryder's grab, giggling along the way. Ryder felt like she was reverting back to the flirtatious Aylin, so he let go immediately.

"Oh, come on, you're no fun," Aylin giggled, poking him in the ribs and then continued walking far along. "Come on, don't lag behind, slowpoke."

Ryder groaned and followed her. Although he should be thinking about the song they'll be dueting, he couldn't stop thinking about Aylin. He wants to know more about her. She's just putting up a front, like how he did when he couldn't accept the fact that he was dyslexic.

"You can tell me anything, Aylin," Ryder coughed up, "we're friends."

"Where is this coming from?" She choked on her own laughter. But it was a nervous laughter. She could tell that Ryder was trying to dig deep.

"We're partners, we should start getting to know each other more."

"Okay, wise-ass," Aylin poked him again, "so, tell me about yourself then."

"I'm dyslexic."

"What the hell is that? Some kind of guy disorder?" She let out a loud laugh, her ignorance was nothing but a rope around Ryder's neck. If she didn't know what dyslexia is, then he can't possibly make her relate to him.

"Don't look so upset. I shouldn't have kid about it. Sorry," Aylin smiled at him, and then the two laughed for a bit. "So, dyslexia huh. You can't read anything?"

"It's just hard to."

"But you're fine with it now?"

"It took a while. Finn helped me through it."

Aylin sucked in her cheeks, realised how ridiculous she looked and then stopped. She whistled a low note and then proceeded to stop talking altogether.

Ryder didn't try pestering her about it anymore, so he just stopped the conversation right there and then. But right before they parted ways, Aylin turned to him, "How about Please Don't Leave Me by P!nk? It'll be awesome to sing." Ryder simply nodded and was left to ponder why she chose that song out of the blue.

**Glee**

_Kitty and Unique  
__I feel so untouched right now  
Need you so much somehow  
I can't forget you  
Been going crazy from the moment I met you_

_Kitty  
__Untouched, Ah_

_Unique  
__Untouched, Ah_

_Kitty  
__Untouched, Ah_

"Woah, that was awesome, girls!" Finn cheered, which was followed by claps from the others. Some, especially Tina and Blaine, had a bit of bitterness in their applause. They were both really competitive, and although they were supportive of their fellow New Directions members, they wanted to win badly.

"Okay, Ryder, Aylin, you're up," Finn gestured the two to take the floor in the choir room.

"Go, Aylin!" Artie shouted, trying to encourage the new member of New Directions. Aylin smiled nervously back as everyone else joined in to cheer for her.

"Nervous?" Ryder teased her.

"Anxious," she replied back.

_Aylin  
__I don't know if I can yell any __louder__,  
How many times have I kicked you out of here  
Or said something insulting?_

_Aylin and Ryder  
__I can be so mean when I wanna be,  
I am capable of really anything,  
I can cut you into pieces,  
When my heart is broken._

Ryder looked to Aylin, who seemed to be focusing on the words. She was good at the singing part, but her acting needed to be brushed up. She's singing without any real emotion, it felt too forced. Of course, he wasn't the best judge, but if he could sense it, everyone else would too. But she seemed to be really trying, and halfway through, she finally started sounding genuine.

_Ryder (Aylin)  
_Please, don't leave me, oh  
Please, don't leave me (don't leave me)  
I always say how I don't need you

_Aylin_  
But it's always gonna come right back to this  
Please, don't leave me

And just when she finally sounded her best, her most emotional, she suddenly stopped singing altogether.

"Aylin, you okay?" Blaine asked. Finn went up to her and began to console.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, sorry," claimed Aylin, who began to laugh to ease the tension. But her laugh was fake and everybody could tell.

"No, let's just start over," Aylin tapped Ryder on the shoulder to show that she was alright. Or, pretended that she was alright. "Can we start over?" she laughed again, this time more convincingly.

Finn stared at her, considering the situation. But he's not Mr. Schuester and he doesn't really know how to console people the way his mentor does. So, he had to let it go on for now. "Sure."

* * *

**Storylines: **Michellie next episode, heck yeah. BTW this Aylin is just a character, with wayyy exaggerated traits from Aylin herself and different stories. Not Aylin herself 3 cause I shouldn't write about real people nor know how to. Plus, I couldn't think of any other names so~ All reviews are appreciated, if you would care to drop one. Haven't gotten any for a while.

**Songs:**  
Lemon Tree by Fools Garden sung by Marley and Sam  
Untouched by The Veronicas sung by Kitty and Unique  
Please Don't Leave Me by P!nk sung by Aylin and Ryder


	10. 10) If I Were Lucky

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 10  
If I Were Lucky**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Tina and Jake: Both confide in each other's failures in relationships  
Artie and Joe: Artie realises the potential in Joe

* * *

_Tina  
__Lyin' here with you so close to me  
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe  
Caught up in this moment  
Caught up in your smile_

_Jake  
__I've never opened up to anyone  
So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms  
We don't need to rush this  
Let's just take it slow_

"Yeah, so that's the first verse," Tina clicked pause on the YouTube video she had on. Karaoke versions of popular songs were everywhere nowadays.

"It's a good song, it still reminds me of Marley though," Jake groaned.

"It reminds me of Mike too," Tina jumped onto Jake's bed, lying beside him.

"I thought you like Finn now."

"Who in the world told you that?" Tina gave him a scowl. But Jake just laughed.

Jake sat up, balancing himself with his hands on his bed, "weren't you going after him?"

"No. I mean, he's nice. It's just that it'll be wrong," Tina said as she buried her head in a pillow. She already expected the next question. Everyone would ask her that.

"Why?"

"Because," she reluctantly lifted up her head, with hair flying into her eyes and mouth. "He likes Rachel and Rachel likes him. Blah blah blah, Finchel stuff."

"Didn't they break up after the failed marriage?"

"Nah, they just kind of delayed it after Quinn got injured."

"He likes you now, though," Jake teased her. He got off the bed, grabbing a picture of Marley and him together, that he had just noticed, and casted it aside.

"You really don't even want to think about her, do you?" Tina asked.

"Like you and Finn. Just, weirder." Jake jumped back onto the bed.

"I don't want to be such a prick," Tina turned around, facing the ceiling of Jake's bedroom, "but why Bree of all people?"

Jake sighed. He refused to answer the question before, and it seems like Tina wouldn't get an answer out of him too.

"Let's continue. I want to learn the rest of the song," Jake said, getting up and heading towards Tina's computer.

"Look, I understand if you don't want to talk about it," Tina started getting up into a sitting position, "But can I?"

"About Marley?"

"About Finn."

Jake turned around, his face shrivelled up into a frown. "You want to talk about that with me?"

"Well, Artie and Sam would only make fun of me. And Blaine would not even give decent advice."

"Because he's gay?" Jake chuckled, sitting down beside Tina.

"No," Tina laughed, "because he's so obsessed over the whole Vocal Adrenaline thing."

Jake nodded silently. They both know that Blaine was taking this whole Vocal Adrenaline thing to a whole other level. It was pretty much an addiction. Ever since Joe and Sugar told them about the trio lead they had, Blaine had been furiously researching about them. So much so that Sugar regretted telling them about it because they couldn't even focus on their duet.

"Did he tell you about the two freshmen leads?" Jake looked to her.

"Oh yeah. It's weird to see Vocal Adrenaline doing that. It's definitely a different approach from the last three years. Anyway," Tina changed the subject so fast, it was obvious she wasn't very interested in Vocal Adrenaline. Yet. "I need advice."

"You're asking for advice from the kid who cheated on his girlfriend. The only advice I have is to never do that," Jake laughed.

Tina plopped back down onto the bed. Back first, but didn't expect it to hurt that much. "I just feel so helpless. I want to ask him, but it just feels weird. Like I'm betraying Rachel or something."

"Well, he's not with Rachel right? So it's technically not wrong."

"Yeah, but they always just end back up together," Tina groaned, "I don't want to be another Quinn or Puck."

Jake laughed, "Puck was with Rachel?"

"Puckleberry, yeah!"

"Oh, God," Jake burst out laughing beside her. Which annoyed Tina.

"You're supposed to be giving me advice!"

"I am, you're just too stubborn to take it," Jake returned Tina's slap on the back, "Just ask him, the worst he can say is no anyway."

"Like that's a good thing," Tina turned away, considering the option. "I should, shouldn't I?"

Jake leaned his head to a side, signalling to her that it was obvious. However, his condescending look just made Tina more furious.

"Oh, fine, whatever. I'll ask him tomorrow after the performance."

"You should just say it's dedicated to him."

"Shut up!" Tina flung a pillow towards Jake, hitting him off the bed.

**Glee**

"Why did you bring her here? She's a spy," Artie pointed a finger towards Sugar, who just shook him off.

"She didn't have anywhere else to go," Joe said.

"Besides," Sugar commented half-heartedly, "Blaine and I have nothing in common, I don't even want to talk to him anymore."

Artie raised his eyebrows, but Joe signalled to him not to ask about it.

"Apples are nutritious," Sugar took out two apples from her bag and handed them to Artie and Joe. "It's a present, just take it."

Artie looked from the apple to Sugar, briefly considering that it may be poisoned.

"Anyway, Joe," Artie turned to his partner and held out his palm. Joe immediately took out the song sheets from his bag, which were littered with strange markings from top to bottom. Sugar couldn't tell what it meant.

"Oh, you did your homework," Artie sounded pleasantly surprised. But when it comes to Joe, he should expect him to do whatever he's told. That's the only problem with Joe, he's too trusting.

It's going to bite him in the ass, Sugar thought.

"What the hell kind of song is that?" Sugar swiped a piece of paper from Joe's hands. "Waiting for Superman? That's a stupid title."

"The title doesn't matter," Artie said, swiping the piece of paper back, and in the most matter-of-fact tone ever, proclaimed, "it's the lyrics that do."

"It's a good song," Joe whispered to Sugar. But Sugar just mouthed her disinterest and walked away.

Artie and Joe continued sitting around the old marble table outside of Artie's house. The garden was small but beautiful, even Sugar had to admit it. Her house was so high-class that they often lacked the amazing graces of Mother Nature. Or well, nature taken into the hands of humans.

"Are we going to practice?" Joe asked Artie hesitantly.

"I'm still not very sure about her being here," Artie placed his jaw into his hand, leaning on the arm of his wheelchair. He took a long hard stare at Sugar, who seemed much more interested in the plants than them. "Now I am," Artie turned to Joe.

After giving Joe the cue, Artie laid back in his wheelchair and listened to Joe sing his lines.

"Oh, man," Artie stopped Joe halfway, "that was awesome!"

"Really?" Joe looked shocked. The only person to ever have given him a compliment was Quinn.

"Yeah, like better-than-me awesome."

"Cool," Joe smiled down at the lyrics. Singing it again in his head. There's no use getting excited about Artie's comments, Joe wanted to use this to keep the ball rolling.

"Hey, you should, like, audition for that solo spot in Nationals," Artie chuckled, laying a hand on Joe.

"Nah, that spot should be for the seniors. Let's practice some more."

"There's always next year."

Sugar walked over to them before Artie and Joe could start practicing again. "What are you two boys hammering on about?"

"Stuff," Artie pressed his jaw in, annoyed about getting interrupted. But then he noticed Sugar holding an apple again. "Okay, what the hell is with you and apples?"

Sugar looked up from the apple, but not a Artie or Joe. "Something," she said unconvincingly. She looked up at Artie's face before adding "Personal."

"Sure..." Artie looked away slowly. He looked down at his lyric sheet, contemplating what to do next.

"Okay, fine," Sugar pressed her hands against the stone cold table, "if you must know."

Sugar pressed her forehead against the apple she had left on the table as Artie and Joe looked to her with bewilderment.

"I was a very temperamental child." Still are, Artie thought. "Every time I would throw some sort of 'fit' my mother would give me an apple."

"And that helped?" Artie retorted.

"For some reason," Sugar replied coolly, pushing the apple away from her. "They just, remind me of my mother now, I guess."

"That's deep," said Joe, who seemed to have connected more to the story than Artie, who had a frown on his face, did.

"Anyway, I think I'll be taking off now," Sugar shrugged and walked off. Her body swayed as she disappeared into the distance.

"Well," Artie knocked Joe out of his daze, "I guess that's the cue for us to continue."

**Glee**

_Artie  
__She's watching the taxi __driver__, he pulls away  
She's been locked up inside her apartment a hundred days_

_Artie and Joe  
__She says, "Yeah, he's still coming, just a little bit late.  
He got stuck at the laundromat washing his cape."  
She's just watching the clouds roll by and they spell her name  
Like Lois Lane  
And she smiles, oh the way she smiles_

Tina leaned in to Jake as the two boys performed at the front of the choir room. She whispered, "we got this in the bag. Ours was so much better."

Jake merely shook his head. Tina was so focused on the competition but Jake could see every other partner whispering the exact same thing. For some reason, when it comes to competition, everyone in New Directions just become so disrespectful.

_Joe  
__She's talking to angels,  
Counting the stars  
Making a wish on a passing car_

_Artie and Joe  
__She's dancing with strangers,  
She's falling apart  
Waiting for Superman to pick her up  
In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah  
She's waiting for Superman..._

Joe took a bow at the end of the song and everybody clapped for them. At least they had the decency to do that, Jake thought. Tina caught wind of it and said, "we aren't as bad as our seniors, so shush."

"Okay," Finn called up from where he was seated. He was sitting right smack in the middle of everyone else. Sometimes, it still felt like he belonged in the club, instead of being the teacher in charge of it. "Last one up, Blaine and Sugar."

"Sorry, Finn, we don't have anything prepared," Blaine sighed exhaustively, folding his arms.

Everyone in the choir room exchanged confused looks. It was not like Blaine to not get something done.

"Did something happen?" Finn looked towards Sugar.

"Just Blaine being a big whiny bitch," she replied indifferently. Joe tugged her from behind, telling her not to be rude almost immediately.

Blaine paid no attention to her, turning away as everyone was left staring.

"I feel like my ears are deceiving me," Ryder whispered over to Jake, who just sat there silently shaking his head.

"Oh, whatever, that's just one less couple to beat anyway," Kitty turned to Finn, "come on, hurry up and name boy-girl and me the winners."

A comment like that from any stranger would have been met with resent, but it was Kitty, and everyone already knew she doesn't mean it. At all, even so that Unique was totally cool with it.

"Okay, since Blaine and Sugar are dropping out of the competition," Finn bit his lips.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" A voice came from the door. Finn looked at all the puzzled faces of the New Directions, some had terror infused into them. He turned around to see Jean Baptiste standing at the door. A crowd of students wearing blue stood behind him. "A competition? And you didn't invite us?"

"I'm sorry," Finn smiled politely, "but I think you're in the wrong school."

Jean looked at him, in a way that he looked both respectful yet arrogant. "I think we are, Finn Hudson. Your school just has very bad security."

"That doesn't mean you can come waltzing in here," Unique jumped out of her seat and charged towards Jean. Her fingers pointed straight in between his eyes.

"Hi Wade, it's been a long time."

"Not long enough."

Finn turned to look at the people behind Jean. Some were looking bored and others just plain annoyed. Though there still were the few who just looked smug and bitchy. Unlike the Vocal Adrenaline three years ago, it seemed like their leader really only had half the squad's support.

"Sorry, Jean, I may have to ask you to leave." Finn said, gesturing for him to get out of the room.

Jean laughed. A terrible laugh, Kitty noted. "I'm honoured that you know my name, Finn Hudson, but we're not leaving just yet."

"Oh, God, what's with all this Jessie bullshit?" Tina threw her hands onto her face.

"Yes, Tina, nice to see you again," Jean grinned at her.

"Don't you talk to her like that," Finn moved into Jean's view, blocking Tina out of sight.

"Come on, man, let's just go," a boy from the Vocal Adrenaline crowd made his way to the front. He wore a blue dress shirt wrapped in a tight black vest - the colours of Vocal Adrenaline, of course. Jean seemed to just ignore him.

"Finn," Blaine called out from behind, "let them do what they want to do."

Finn turned back, shocked. Tina and Artie were staring daggers at him too. But Blaine's curiosity was justified, he wanted to study the enemy.

Jean did a little bow towards Blaine as the whole of Vocal Adrenaline entered the choir room. They had five times the number of people New Directions had. Unique and Finn grudgingly took a seat among New Directions. Finn didn't really approve of letting Vocal Adrenaline perform, but he couldn't deny that Vocal Adrenaline was just exposing themselves, to all of them this time.

Tina leaned in to Finn's ear, "didn't you hear a word I said that day? We can't let everyone see this."

"We'll either be intimidated now or during Nationals. I'd rather it now," Finn replied. A reasonable reply that Tina could not counter. So she just sat back, wondering when Finn had begun making sense.

"Unfortunately," Jean announced to New Directions, "we weren't prepared for your little competition. What type of competition is it again?"

"Duets," Finn responded coldly.

"Is this supposed to be the competition?" Aylin wondered aloud to Ryder, who just nodded. "He's not as good-looking as you."

"It's... nevermind," Ryder had practically given up trying to figure out Aylin. Whenever there seems to be a crack, it disappears within moments. He had just decided to wait until she wanted to share. For now, there were more pressing matters.

"Fantastic," Jean beamed, he snapped his fingers and two members of Vocal Adrenaline stepped up. The boy who had spoken up earlier and a girl that no one had noticed until then walked in front. The rest of Vocal Adrenaline seemed so relaxed, so Finn assumed that they won't be performing at all. Jean's really sticking true to their competition theme then, weird, Finn thought.

"New Directions," Jean gestured towards the crowd of thirteen, and then pointed to the duo from his side, "Michael and Nellie." Jean smiled as he walked towards the band.

"I assume your band is competent?" he chuckled as he handed out score sheets to everyone of them.

Blaine turned towards Tina, Joe and Sugar. "These are the two freshmen, right?" He had already known the answer but the nods from the three of them just reassured him. It would be even more surprising, and detrimental, if it had been otherwise.

But, Tina noted, that the two freshmen didn't seem to want to be there at all. The girl was tightly clutching her dress and looking down onto the ground. The guy just looked plain annoyed, sucking his lips in.

But as soon as the band began playing, the boy looked up to the New Directions with confidence.

_Michael  
__Do you hear me, I'm talking to you  
Across the water across the deep blue ocean  
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying_

Tina and Artie turned to look at Sam straight away. Sam had been quietly watching the whole time, but now he just looked completely jealous. He was biting his thumb so hard Artie could swear he saw blood. Sam had sung this song in the last duet competition they had, and he had won. But now, someone's singing it better than he did.

_Michael  
__Every time we say goodbye  
I wish we had one more kiss  
I'll wait for you, I promise you, I will_

_Lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again_

_Nellie  
__Cause if I were a boy  
I think I could understand  
How it feels to love a girl  
I swear I'd be a better man._

The transition of songs was so well done, half of New Directions didn't even realise the song change until a bit later. By this time, Michael had moved back into the crowd and Nellie had taken over. Her voice didn't fit her demeanour. Her voice was grounded and confident, making all the females in New Directions quiver.

"Holy shit," Kitty whimpered. She had not expected this from the girl, who just transformed from a timid nervous girl to a strong empowering one.

_Nellie  
__Say it's just a mistake  
Think I'd forgive you like that  
If you thought I would wait for you  
You thought wrong_

All eyes then went to Unique, even Jean Baptiste. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, staring green at the girl whose singing. She then turned her attention to Jean, realising that he was beaming right at her. It was then did Finn realise that he had chosen the two songs on purpose.

_Nellie  
__You don't listen to her  
You don't care how it hurts  
Until you lose the one you wanted  
'Cause you've taken her for granted  
And everything you had got destroyed  
But you're just a boy_

Nellie finished and then stared a bit at New Directions. There was no applause, there was no cheers. The members of New Directions just sat there silently and stared, either at the two freshmen or at the ground. Nellie turned back to rejoin the group and Jean gestured for them to leave.

"Hope you consider us to win," Jean winked at Finn before following out the door.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Viewership slowed down for the last two eps TT^TT Anyway, just realised that only and all even chapters start with a song. I should stop that, probably.

**Songs:  
**Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum sung by Tina and Jake  
Waiting For Superman by Daughtry sung by Artie and Joe  
Lucky / If I Were A Boy sung by Michael and Nellie


	11. 11) The Soloist

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 11  
The Soloist**

* * *

**Storlines:**  
Sam and Unique: In an attempt to regain their self-confidence, the two suggest auditions for the lead duet  
Tina and Finn: They finally settle what they plan to do with their awkward situation

* * *

"Why do we need auditions for the guys? I thought Blaine was getting the part," Ryder looked around at the other faces of the glee club.

"That was never decided," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, guys, besides, the duet competition was interrupted, so we can't really decide who we want to duet," Unique appealed to the a half of the Glee club while Sam addressed the others.

Kitty laughed in her seat, "You two just want to get the part because Vocal Adrenaline kicked your ass at those songs."

"Hey, Unique actually sung that song with emotion," Ryder nudged Kitty.

"Did you even hear that Nellie girl?" Tina shrieked, "she was just phenomenal in that song. No offence, Unique."

Unique glared at Tina, with eyes so wide it made any owl's ones look like marbles. Sam walked over to Blaine, asking him for approval.

"Sure, I think it's the fairest way to decide," Blaine beamed. But everyone knew that he only agreed because he expected to win.

"Alright then," Sam clapped his hand together, "I'll just tell this to Finn and then we'll be fine."

"Sam," Tina stood up, walking over to him, "How exactly is this audition thing supposed to work?"

"I'll leave it to Finn to decide."

"Hold on," Artie wheeled himself towards the centre of the choir room, and then pointed over to Unique and Sam. "Do you two really plan on winning together or something?"

"Yes." Both of them said simultaneously.

Unique and Sam had gotten quite close in the past few days, well, hours. They started whining to each other about Vocal Adrenaline's performance the day before. Both felt the most threatened and they wanted to show New Directions that they were still better singers than Vocal Adrenaline. "Jean probably knew about those songs and picked them to screw you guys over," Finn had said, "You should be flattered he chose you two to intimidate."

But Finn's words didn't do anything for them. Instead of convincing them that they were great singers in New Directions, it only just proved to them that the best of their club couldn't even match the two freshmen Vocal Adrenaline had.

"Do your voices even go together?" Artie asked the pair. Unique looked at Sam for a moment and then they both started giggling.

"Of course, Artie," Unique waved a finger at him, laughing off Artie's comment.

Aylin looked at them confused, and then leaned in towards Jake, "they're going to sing, aren't they?"

"Happens way too often for anyone's good," Jake commented, before taking out his phone and playing around with it.

_Sam  
__Rising up, back on the street  
Did my time, took my chances  
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet  
Just a man and his will to survive_

_Unique  
__So many times it happens too fast  
You trade your passion for glory  
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past_

_Sam  
__You must fight just to keep them alive_

Everyone but Artie was amused by the new pairing in front of them. Unique and Sam barely ever had a conversation alone and now singing together, they look like they've been friends for years. Artie still believed that their voices don't go, and as one of the most judgemental person in New Directions, he felt that he would never allow Finn to choose both of them together to duet in Nationals. It would be an epic fail, he thought.

_Unique and Sam  
__And the last known survivor  
Stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watching us all with the eye _

_Unique__  
of the tiger_

**Glee**

"A competition? I think we've had enough of that, Sam," Finn paced around his dorm room while holding a book in his right hand and a phone on his left.

Puck had been knocked out on his bed. Probably from drinking too much, Finn presumed. It was about 3 am at the moment and Finn had been shocked to receive a call from anyone at that time. It was even more surprising that it was from both Sam and Unique.

"I mean, just this year alone, we've had a Diva competition, a boys vs girls competition, a competition for 'New Rachel', for some reason, and a duet competition," Finn moaned, "Not to mention we had auditions for Grease."

"Yeah, but,"

"I'm probably just going to get the winner for 'New Rachel' and the Diva competition to sing the duet," Finn plopped down into his chair and laid the book on the table. He swapped the phone to the other side of his head and said, "I think that's the best, right?"

"No!" Unique screamed through the phone, almost causing Finn to drop his, "The 'New Rachel' competition was so rigged, 50% of that was from an online poll which thought Blaine looked handsome! He was the worst of us, and you know it Finn Hudson."

Finn let out a long sigh. "Okay, fine, I'll do an audition for the guys."

"And the girls! Don't let your testosterone cloud your judgement," Unique scolded, much to Finn's annoyance, "You ain't gonna be biased towards Tina just because you like her."

"I don't," Finn started but just decided to ignore that comment. "Fine, tell them to get their auditions ready on Monday."

"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about," Unique cheered.

"Thanks, Finn!" Sam said before the two hung up.

Finn dropped his phone down onto the table and stared at his book. "Great," he groaned.

**Glee**

"We definitely got this in the bag," Sam whispered over to Unique as they waited in the auditorium. Majority of New Directions had arrived but Finn still hasn't. Tina and Sugar were nowhere to be seen either.

"I've already came up with a few songs we could sing together," Unique whispered back, "What do you think of something Beyonce?"

Sam shook his head as Finn burst through the auditorium door. He apologised profusely and then rushed to the table in the middle of the audience.

"Finn," Blaine walked over to Finn and told him about Tina's illness. Finn nodded his head and told Blaine that he already knew.

"That's just one less competitor for you," Sam snickered.

"I was going to beat her anyway."

"You lost to her in two different competitions."

Unique's face burst into a flame of emotions. Her eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets and her lips were pursed tightly like a locked cage. Sam didn't even dare to look away as the menace of Unique's front stared down upon him.

"Okay," Finn clapped his hands together, like he always does when he wanted to grab everybody's attention, "As Tina is unwell today, she'll audition another day. The girls, you'll still audition today."

"That's unfair!" Unique blurted out, spitting into Sam's face.

Finn stared at her in shock. Everyone else did too, but it appears that she had no shame at all and just continued staring at Finn with a horrified expression on her face.

"Unless," Finn felt like he was threading on treacherous waters here, "All the girls would want to audition tomorrow?"

Kitty and Marley shook their heads. They had prepared all morning for this and they didn't want it to delay it. Finn apologised to Unique, who still looked annoyed. But she didn't have a choice so she just went with it. "I'll still beat her anyway," she grumbled on as she walked past Sam and went to the stage.

"So, Skyfall is the song, right?" Finn looked up at the four girls on stage. Marley, Kitty, Unique and Aylin were all there. The last of which was there because Finn had asked her multiple times to at least give it a go. With 6 girls in New Directions, one of whom was sick and the other didn't even bother to turn up, Finn was worried about the decision he would have to make.

Artie wheeled up beside Finn. "Hey, Finn," and the two proceeded to discuss silently. The four girls on stage quickly set up the microphones for their performance and then waited for Finn's word.

"Erm, change of plans, Artie's going to co-judge with me."

"What?" Unique screamed out once again. But she then realised that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Artie has the eye for talent. But then again, Kitty was his girlfriend. This time, she actually apologised.

"Don't worry, Kitty already knows I'll treat all of you with equal and extreme prejudice," Artie laughed.

"Okay, whenever you four are ready," Finn gave them the thumbs up and smiled encouragingly at them.

_Marley  
__This is the end  
Hold your __breath__ and count to ten  
Feel the __earth__ move and then  
Hear my heart burst again_

_Kitty  
__For this is the end  
I've drowned and dreamt this moment  
So overdue I owe them_

_Unique  
__Swept away, I'm stolen_

"Unique's really good," Artie commented, "But needs more control."

"I think Marley's great," Finn muttered.

_Marley  
__Skyfall is where we start  
A thousand miles and poles apart  
Where worlds collide and days are dark_

_Unique  
__You may have my number, you can take my name  
But you'll never have my heart_

_Unique and Kitty (Marley and Aylin)  
__Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)  
When it crumbles (when it crumbles)  
We will stand tall (we will stand tall)  
Face it all together_

"Aylin's not singing much," Finn looked at Artie and Artie nodded in agreement. Of the three, she doesn't really stand out at all.

Artie then gestured at Aylin, signalling for her to start singing more. Aylin didn't seem to notice as she was shyly looking at the ground. Marley saw and then at Finn's approval, went to tell Aylin. Aylin looked nervously towards Artie and Finn. One face was full of condescension and the other full of enthusiasm. But she had to sing anyway, she already agreed so she just closed her eyes and tried her best.

_Aylin  
__Where you go I go  
What you see I see  
I know I'd never be me  
Without the security  
Of your __loving arms__  
Keeping me from harm  
Put your hand in my hand  
And we'll stand_

Artie was completely caught off guard by the power in her voice. "Holy crap, I've never heard her sing that high!" He cheered on as the rest of the girls continued singing.

Soon, the girls finished and they stepped down from the stage. Sam flashed his thumbs up at Unique, who was convinced she did the best. Marley and Kitty came down beaming and Aylin had her face between her hands.

"Oh my God, that was scary," she giggled.

Ryder went to hug her and said, "Don't worry, you did great."

"Yeah, you were awesome," Joe echoed Ryder's compliments. Aylin sat back down, contented.

"Okay," Finn turned around and scanned the crowd, "Boys, your turn."

Ryder, Sam and Blaine walked up towards the stage. Only half the boys seemed interested in auditioning for the part.

"Joe!" Artie shouted when he didn't see the skinny Christian on the stage.

Joe obeyed Artie's unsaid command and hastened towards the other three boys.

"Jake, you're not auditioning?" Aylin asked, in which Jake just shook his head.

Marley looked towards him from behind and heaved a sigh. She really had to talk to him about his attitude lately. He doesn't seem to be wanting to do anything that he used to. They had agreed to get over whatever happened between them for the club but they honestly haven't done so yet.

"Closure," her mom had told her, "Is the key to solving everything, sweetie."

"Start whenever you're ready, guys," Finn's voice boomed towards the stage.

"Wait," Marley sounded way louder and squeakier than she had hoped, "Jake, why don't you audition?" Her voice sounded so robotic and monotonous that it even surprised herself. She had tried to hide any sentimental tone to it so that he would not get the wrong idea, but it backfired.

"Yeah, Jake, come up!" Ryder waved to his best friend. Jake looked from Marley to Ryder, and then hesitantly made his way up the stage.

"I'll sing," Jake breathed into the mike, "but I don't want to be considered for the part."

Sam giggled like a little girl inside. It's not like you'll win anyway, he thought. For Sam, he was sure that he would be the winner. Just like Unique, his confidence was sky high.

_Jake  
__Step__ one, you say, "We need to talk."  
He walks, you say, "Sit down. It's just a talk."  
He smiles politely back at you  
You stare politely right on through_

_Ryder and Jake  
__Some sort of window to your right  
As he goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines of fear and blame  
You begin to wonder why you came_

"Jake's voice fit this song perfectly," Artie growled in disappointment. It was a shame he didn't want to actually audition.

_Blaine  
__Let him know that you know best  
'Cause after all you do know best  
Try to slip past his defence  
Without granting innocence_

_Sam  
_Lay down a list of what is wrong  
The things you've told him all along

_Sam and Joe  
__Pray to God, he hears you  
And I pray to God, he hears you_

"Joe's really good," Finn whispered to Artie.

"Told you," scorned Artie.

_Sam  
__He will do one of two things  
He will admit to everything  
Or he'll say he's just not the same  
And you'll begin to wonder why you came_

_Jake and Joe  
__Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

_Blaine  
__How to save a life  
How to save a life_

"Awesome," complimented Finn, "Artie and I will get back to you guys after Tina's audition."

Finn got out from his seat and pushed Artie away from the table, dismissing New Directions.

"We so won this thing," Sam whispered to Unique as they headed out of the auditorium.

**Glee**

"And they agreed to this?" Tina was uncertain. She didn't want to make it seem like she got the part just because Finn and Artie were giving her special treatment. And it does feel like special treatment.

"They are totally fine with me being the sole soloist auditioner? I mean, they all auditioned in groups, are you incredibly sure that they are okay with that?"

"Yes, calm down," Finn assured her, "I talked to them about this already. Only Unique had a problem about it, but not after her audition."

"Stop making such a big fuss about it," Artie groaned and gestured for Tina to take the stage.

Tina looked from Finn and Artie and just gave up. She wasn't entirely convinced that the others had agreed but what could she do now? She did in fact want to sing the duet. During her first two years in New Directions, she barely ever sung in competitions, but then again it was kind of her fault for turning down anything Mr. Schuester threw at her the first year.

"This is Beam Me Up by P!nk," Tina muttered into the microphone.

_Tina  
__There's a whole 'nother conversation going on  
In a __parallel universe__.  
Where nothing breaks and nothing hurts._

Artie smiled towards Finn. He had called it, Tina was amazing in her audition. For him, just this verse had pitted her against Aylin, who had blown him away. Finn didn't look like he was convinced just yet.

_Tina  
__Could you beam me up,  
Give me a minute, I don't know what I'd say in it  
I'd probably just stare  
Happy just to be there, holding your face  
Beam me up,  
Let me be lighter, I'm tired of being a fighter,  
I think a minute's enough,  
Just beam me up._

"She's good, right? I'm feeling she's good," Finn nervously asked Artie.

"She's spectacular," Artie answered, "with a capital S."

_Tina  
__Beam me up  
Beam me up  
Beam me up  
Could you beam me up._

"Holy crap," Artie gasped as Tina finished. "That was the closest to Rachel out of every one left in the Glee club?"

"Really?" Tina was indifferent, she was flattered but being compared to Rachel irks her a bit. Mercedes, Santana and Quinn were barely ever compared to Rachel, they had different unique voices. But if her voice was just an inferior Rachel Berry, she would not be able to stand that.

"Really? I was reminded more of Quinn," Finn chuckled, "Either way, good job, that was awesome." Finn smiled at her before he started packing up his stuff. Artie moved out from the table and down the ramp. He nodded farewell to Tina before leaving the auditorium.

"Hey, Tina," Finn called out just as Tina walked down from the stage. "Are you doing anything today? Like, after school."

Stunned, Tina couldn't even turn her face towards Finn. Her eyes just darted towards the tall, yet kind of cute and dorky looking man beside her. His face was unflinching, but it showed signs of nervousness. There must have been a few seconds of silence because Finn suddenly cleared his throat. Silence really is uncomfortable, she thought.

"Erm," she chocked, mainly just to ease the tension a bit. She, of course, couldn't go through with it. Despite talks with Jake, she still did not want to jeopardise anything with Finn. "Did Jake say something to you?" she asked, suddenly getting very suspicious of the situation. She had only just remembered what she and Jake discussed a week ago.

"Yes," Finn admitted shamefully. He turned his head away and scratched the back of his ear, a thing he does when he's feeling very uncomfortable, Rachel had told her.

"Okay, I just want to get something clear first, before, anything weird happens," Tina continued slowly, "Whatever my reply is, it won't affect the audition right?"

"What? No, of course not!" Finn cleared his throat again, louder than before. His eyes darted around but eventually focused back on Tina. "Okay," Tina finally turned to face Finn, "I don't really care what Jake told you, just forget about that. Meet me in the choir room after school."

With that, Tina strolled out of the choir room, leaving Finn gleefully smiling at her acceptance.

**Glee**

"First off," Tina announced suddenly, when Finn walked into the room, "Sam and Unique's been complaining non-stop about your decision on Whatsapp and it's getting annoying." She had been looking down at her phone the whole time, leading Finn to wonder how attentive she was to her surroundings.

Tina's head tilted upwards to look at Finn, and pleaded, "Please shut them up."

"That's not much to say that haven't been said, Artie and I had pretty much the same decision," Finn shrugged.

"That's flattering. I've always wanted to do a duet with Blaine."

"Heh, if it wasn't for Jake not wanting to audition, you'll be dueting with him. Come to think of it, you two were amazing in your duet competition too."

"Thanks," Tina laughed.

"So, ready to go? I need to stop by the college for a while, if you don't mind." Finn said, biting his lips.

"Before that," Tina's expression suddenly changed, she was suddenly solemn and she sounded tired. Tina ruffled through her bag and pulled out a few pages of paper.

"Song?" Finn asked, cheerfully but with a heart full of worry.

"We sang a song before at your request, to see where we actually were in this whole thing," Tina explained, "which kinda worked at my expense." She laughed, and Finn couldn't help but join in.

"But, it's still weird. Not only were you like a big brother to me before this whole... thing. But," Tina paused, as if saying the next words were a sin.

"Rachel," Finn looked down at the sheet of paper.

"Sing it," Tina said, looking up sadly at him, "I know there's something there, you're just denying it. Pretending to like someone else? Been there, done that, Finn."

Finn dropped down into a chair. "Even if there is, won't it be weird between us?"

"It's already weird. Sure, maybe acting on this, whatever it is, will make it less weird," and then she added, "temporarily. But if we know you still love Rachel, then I know that we'll get over this whole... thing, which I'm going to say is a stupid crush."

Finn sighed and read the words of the song. Tina took the cue and placed her MP3 on the table. Not many people use those anymore.

_Finn  
__Hey there Delilah  
What's it like in __New York City__?  
I'm a thousand miles away  
But girl, tonight you look so pretty  
Yes you do  
Times Square can't shine as bright as you  
I swear it's true_

Although crestfallen, Tina was secretly proud of herself for finding a song that depicts Finn and Rachel's relationship so perfectly. If Finn really felt nothing, that would solve one complication. But it's not like that would ever happen, Tina thought.

_Finn__  
Hey there Delilah  
You be good and don't you miss me  
Two more years and you'll be done with school  
And I'll be making history like I do_

_Oh it's what you do to me  
Oh it's what you do to me  
Oh it's what you do to me  
Oh it's what you do to me  
What you do to me._

After Finn finished, he just switched off the MP3 and sat there, without a word. But Tina didn't even need to wait for Finn's reply to know that she was right.

* * *

**Update: **The next chapter won't come out anytime soon. I have exams ongoing so it'll probably be released near the end of next month or later. I'm sorry :(

**Author's Comments:** Shoutout to WildeAbrams for the multiple reviews:) Finally going to resolve the Frankenasian and Jarley storyline next and having a mini Wildebrams story too! Then I'll move on to the people I haven't been focusing much on.

**Songs:  
**Eye of the Tiger by Survivor sung by Sam and Unique  
Skyfall by Adele sung by Marley, Kitty, Unique and Aylin  
How To Save A Life by The Fray sung by Jake, Ryder, Blaine, Sam and Joe  
Beam Me Up by P!nk sung by Tina  
Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's sung by Finn


	12. 12) Lovefool

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 12  
Lovefool**

* * *

**Storlines:**

Kitty and Artie: The decide talk about the future of their relationship when Artie moves to New York  
Jake, Marley and Ryder: The duo finally finds closure while Ryder does something surprising

* * *

_Marley and Tina  
__Love me love me  
Say that you love me  
Fool me fool me  
Go on and fool me_

_Kitty  
__I can't __care__ 'bout anything but you_

_Tina  
__Lately I have desperately pondered,  
Spent my nights awake and I wonder  
What I could have done in another way  
To make you stay_

_Marley__  
Reason will not lead to solution  
I will end up lost in confusion  
I don't care if you really care  
As long as you don't go_

_Kitty  
__So I cry, I pray, and I beg_

_Marley and Tina (Kitty)  
__Love me, love me (Say that you love me)  
Fool me, fool me (Go on and fool me)  
Love me, love me (I know that you need me)  
_

_Kitty__  
I can't care 'bout anything but you.._

**Glee**

"We need to talk," Kitty rushed towards Artie and swivelled him around.

Artie stared at her in shock before he was turned around and wheeled off back to where he came from. But he had already expected Kitty to try and talk to him. He had ignored her last few texts about meeting her because he knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

"I kind of talked to her about her future with you," Unique had mentioned, "I mean, you're moving to New York and all that jazz. You're welcome."

But there was nothing she should be welcomed for, he was not thankful for it one bit. None of his girlfriends ever survived the summer, metaphorically speaking. Tina broke up with him for ignoring her the whole summer in freshmen year, Brittany left him for a girl before summer started in sophomore year and with Becky in junior year, a second date didn't even occur.

"What are we going to do," Kitty started as they reached the courtyard, "after you graduate?"

"Do we really need to talk about this?"

"Considering whatever happened between you and Tina four years ago, yes."

"What did Tina tell you?" Annoyed, Artie broke free from Kitty and turned around to face her.

"She told me about the wonderful freshmen summer where the both of you spent every waking hour together," Kitty smiled dubiously.

"First of all, she never called, so that's her fault," Artie cocked his head away and swivelled back round, leading Kitty to a nearby table.

"Even so, you're moving to New York," Kitty groaned.

"You're the one who talked me into going," Artie lowered his eyelids and stared at her with a stupid expression.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't go, I'm asking what we should do after you go," Kitty slammed the table. Her rage was obvious and made Artie terrified. "I mean, since when did any relationships in high school last long distance?"

She was right, no relationship ever lasted after high school. Santana and Brittany broke up not long after Santana left Ohio, Finn broke up with Rachel and made her go to New York, Blaine cheated on Kurt, and Mike and Mercedes barely kept in touch with their partners. The only one that lasted for a while was Sugar and Rory, which was surprising because no one ever thought Sugar was serious about that relationship.

"So," Artie looked down onto the ground, "You want to break up with me?"

"No," Kitty sighed, "But if you want to..."

"No!" Artie's head shot up like a firework blasting into the sky. His eyes wide with fear. That was the last thing he had wanted to do. But even he needed to admit that he thought it is inevitable.

"Then, what? We need to have an honest conversation about this."

"But why now?" Artie blurted out.

Kitty looked at him, appalled.

"I don't want to settle this now," Artie groaned, and then turned away to head back into the school.

Kitty let out a grunt and kicked herself in the heels. She slammed her hands onto her face and tried to calm herself down. After taking a moment to think, she finally walked back into the school as well.

"Kitty!" Marley called from behind her. Unfortunately for Marley, Kitty wasn't very in the mood to talk to anyone now.

"Kitty, have you seen Jake?"

With just a shake of the head, Kitty just walked away. Marley didn't even realise that her friend had completely blocked her off. She continued looking around for Jake. It's been a few weeks since they broke up and Marley still felt that she needed to snap Jake out of his funk.

She brisk walked around the school campus, checking everywhere she thought Jake could possibly be. The cafeteria, the courtyard, in a cubicle making out with a girl. She didn't go into the male washroom of course, she made Sam go in and check for her. But it was at the lockers where she finally saw his back.

"Jake!"

She rushed towards him, but stopped immediately when she realised that he wasn't alone. He was talking to a Cheerio with long brunette hair that reached her hip. Her hair was let down, not in a ponytail, contradictory to Cheerio uniform. It was permed right down to the bottom. Her eyes were dazzling and glistening under the school's florescent lights. And to Marley, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

Jake didn't seem to notice her, he was too busy talking to the cheerleader in front of him. Marley heard him laugh before he wraps his arm around the brunette and walked away. He didn't even notice that Marley had been behind him the whole time.

"Marley," Joe came up from behind, tapping her on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Marley turned around flustered, "Yes, why? Do I look not-okay?"

She laughed and immediately took off. It had dawned on her that Jake had already made peace about their break-up. How could he not? He was Jake the womanizer, and she was foolish to think otherwise. It was her and not Jake that needed a talking to.

**Glee**

"What did you do with Rachel?" Artie spoke up, to the person wheeling him out of the school. The giant behind him let out a sigh and answered,

"Don't you all know what I did to Rachel? I just broke up with her there and then before sendingher off to New York."

"Oh yeah," Artie hung his head down, "And then you chased her when the train moved. Very romantic, Finn."

But that wasn't something Artie could do. Maybe Kitty could do that, re-enact the Finchel farewell. How romantic would that be?

"Just, tell her straight up." Finn said, "You already know you want to break up with her."

"I didn't say I want to break up with her, I just know that we have to," Artie corrected him.

"You do what you have to, man."

Artie had been drilling every guy he knows for advice, but none had come close to actually giving him anything substantial. Sam told him to just straight out say it, something he did to the school nurse, Penny. But that didn't go so well, because Penny kind of went a bit insane after that. Blaine told him to continue the relationship, but everyone knows how Blaine's long distance relationship turned out. Puck's advice would never be any good, so he didn't even bother.

"So," Artie asked, apparently bored of the thought of breaking up with Kitty, "What's going on with you and Tina."

"It's weird."

"Everyone knows it's weird Finn, but how weird?"

"She said that I'm still in love with Rachel."

Artie didn't even bother raising an argument. This had been a fact everyone already knew. Even the sophomores in Glee club knew and they had never met Rachel.

Finn groaned, "That obvious huh?"

"Well, to me, you're just trying to deny it because you want to forget it."

"I wouldn't count punching Brody in the face as 'forgetting it'."

Artie chocked on his laughter. That story was one that had been stuck in his head since Santana told them during their visit to New York.

"Did you really say that out loud?" Artie chuckled, "Future wife or something like that?"

"I'm not going to answer that," Finn turned Artie out of the school campus and lead him to a nearby car.

"Artie!" Kitty called out from behind.

"Uh-oh," Artie muttered, and then tried to hurry Finn into the car.

"Talk to your girlfriend," Finn whispered back before getting into the car and locking the doors. He rolled up his window to signal that he wasn't going to eavesdrop.

"You haven't been returning my calls," Kitty said impatiently, "And if you don't return my calls, it means you're either dead or a dick, so which is it?"

Artie shook his head, if she was so intent on having this conversation, he would rather be dead. "I told you I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't want to talk about it now, you don't want to talk about it tomorrow, you won't ever want to talk about it!"

Artie could feel Kitty's fury stirring inside her. No, not inside her, but all around her. Maybe ignoring her wasn't such a good idea anymore.

"Fine, let's talk about it on Friday. After Glee practice."

"Right," Kitty looked away in annoyance, "Because after eight hours of dancing, we would be so ecstatic to talk about this."

Kitty snapped her head back and looked at Artie, "That's your plan, right? Tire me out after the rehearsals and then make me the bad guy for delaying the conversation?"

"No!" Artie shouted back, although he was frustrated by the accusation, he couldn't deny it. It was true.

"We're having this conversation tomorrow, 3 p.m. at the auditorium."

With that, Kitty stormed off, leaving Artie no chance to rebut. Without anything left to do, he knocked on the window of the car before Finn opened the doors to let him in.

"You should have an honest conversation with her," Finn urged.

"Firstly, no one likes an eavesdropper and secondly, no."

"Artie."

"How did you even hear us anyway?" snapped Artie.

"It's a window not a wall," Finn said, "And if you ask Puck later, I'm sure he would tell you to talk to her too."

Artie shook his head and slumped onto the window of the car. He stared out, considering Finn's words as they drove off.

**Glee**

Jake wandered into the classroom. It was history period now, and as usual, he only bothered joining the class a half hour after it started. The teachers in the school has gotten so used to his behaviour that none of them even cared anymore.

"This seat taken?" He asked an brooding Marley.

Without much thought, she nodded. She didn't even realise who it was until he sat down.

"Oh," She exclaimed, "Hi!"

Jake looked at her with bewilderment, and slowly nodded his head, "Hi..."

Marley opened her mouth to speak again but no words came out. So she just turned away, mentally scolding herself for acting without thinking.

The class went on for another ten minutes before anybody spoke. And ten minutes of silence can make anyone fidgety.

"So, what's going on with you?" Jake asked, after seeing Marley shaking her legs around in nervousness.

"What? Oh," Marley tried to find something to say but nothing came to mind. Everything she had prepared to ask or say to Jake just completely vanished into thin air. She was at a complete lost for words so she just stuck to silence.

"Marley?"

"Sorry," she let out a laugh, "I just... So you're seeing someone else?"

Both of them turned away at the exact moment the words came out. Marley pinching herself for bringing it up so suspiciously and Jake pondering over how Marley came to that conclusion.

"Not exactly."

"I saw you with that girl."

"You have to be more specific," Jake tried to laugh, but the tenseness of the whole conversation seemed to have stuffed a dry sock down his throat.

"So, there are" Marley couldn't even get the words out, "many others?"

"Why does it matter? I thought you said you were fine with this." Jake questioned, looking at the girl who wasn't very sure of what to do anymore.

Marley bit her lips, so tightly she felt that she could definitely bleed into her mouth.

"Well, this is going to be a problem," Jake shook his head and slowly lowered it down onto the table. "I kinda told Ryder that he should ask you out."

"What?" Marley shrieked. A little too loud in the class as everyone's eyes darted to where she was seating. She sunk lower down into her seat, whispering to Jake about what he told Ryder.

"He's actually coming in after this class."

The bell rings.

"Which means now," Jake bobbed his head around like he didn't really care. But his fists were clammed shut around each other and his lips were pursed. And something told Marley that Ryder wasn't just going to appear for a little chat.

_Ryder  
__The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful  
Stop me and steal my breath._

There was her answer. In traditional, yet unorthodox, New Directions fashion, Ryder had jumped into the classroom and burst into a song.

_Ryder  
__I'll be your crying shoulder,  
I'll be love's suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older,  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life._

"Ryder," Marley grabbed Ryder's arm as he moved in closer to her. "That's an amazing song, but I have to say no."

"But I haven't finished," Ryder stuttered.

"It's nothing about that. I love that song," Marley smiled nervously, but tried to at least look reassuring to the heartbroken Ryder. She looked away and at Jake, who was leaning at the door. "I just really need to talk to Jake first, okay?"

"But, I thought..."

"Long story," she flustered out of the classroom, dragging Jake along with her.

"That was brutal."

"Shush."

Marley walked to her locker and opened it. Picture of her with Jake adorned the blue walls.

"That's definitely not closure," Jake chuckled. Although, it wasn't funny at all.

"I know," Marley swallowed hard. She paused as Finn and Tina walked past them, not wanting anyone to hear what she has to say next. "You know how easy some people can get over stuff?"

She points towards Finn and Tina, who had stopped by a water cooler and were now casually chatting away.

"They don't really count."

"It's still a crush. And one talk and a song later, they seem to be fine."

"They're not entirely fine," Jake asserted.

"Better than us, well," she sighed, "better than me."

Jake snorted, "It's only been like two or three weeks."

"I really liked you." Marley looked away and onto the floor.

Jake stood there staring at her in silence, before taking her iPod from her locker and scrolling through the list. "You said a song helped Finn and Tina, right?"

Marley nodded.

"You first," he said as he placed the phone down onto the locker.

_Marley  
__I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us,  
How we met and the sparks flew instantly,  
People would say, "They're the lucky ones."_

_Marley and Jake  
__Oh, a simple complication,  
Miscommunications lead to fall-out.  
So many things that I wish you knew,  
So many walls that I can't break through._

_Marley_  
Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room  
And we're not speaking,  
And I'm dying to know is it killing you  
Like it's killing me, yeah?

They continued singing until Jake saw Ryder approaching from the corner of his eye.

_Marley  
__And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now._

"Why'd you stop the song?" Marley asked right after Jake started fumbling around with the iPod.

"Are you guys okay?" Ryder asked, in which Marley looked at Jake and replied,

"I guess we'll be okay."

Jake smiled and closed Marley's locker for her. "I'll leave you two at it then," and then took his leave.

**Glee**

"What the hell are you doing up there?" Kitty walked into the auditorium, only to be greeted by the sight of Artie alone on the stage.

Artie gave her a weak smile and told her to take a seat. She does so obediently, wondering what Artie was going to do. He was going to sing, of course, but for what reason. And however heartless she would like some people to think she is, she had to admit that she was feeling very worried about her relationship with Artie.

"I was thinking about what you said yesterday," Artie spoke with an air of humility, "And you were right."

"So we're going to talk about it?"

"Talk it about it honestly, yes."

"So," Kitty could already anticipate the bore that could come with this conversation. Instead of tiring her out with Glee practice, Artie was going to tire her out another way. "You're singing?"

"Duh, what better way is there to convey my deepest sentiments but through a song?"

_Artie  
__If you search for tenderness  
It isn't hard to find  
You can have the love you need to live_

Kitty hung her head back, trying to prepare herself for minutes long of Artie's singing. But even she knew she couldn't resist his voice. So instead, she decided to alternate between feigning excitement and feigning boredom.

_Artie  
__But when I want sincerity  
Tell me where else can I turn  
Cause you're the one that I depend upon  
__  
__Honesty is such a lonely word  
Everyone is so untrue  
Honesty is hardly ever heard  
And mostly what you need from me_

"Smart change of lyrics there," Kitty mused, "are you done?"

"Pretty much."

"So, what's your decision?"

Artie stopped talking and slowly rolled down from the stage. "I decided," he took his time to reach her, trying to draw dramatic suspense.

"Spit it out, Abrams, or I'll spit on you."

"I want to spend the last few weeks with you with anything but bitterness."

"So you're breaking up with me," Kitty tried to get a solid answer. She was expecting this but it still didn't fail to disappoint.

"Not now," Artie laughed, "few weeks later. Until I move."

Kitty heaved a heavy sigh and looked down onto the ground.

"You okay with that?" Artie lowered his head to try and see what she was thinking.

"No, but," Kitty wiped a tear from her face. "What else can I do?"

**Glee**

_Finn  
__You've read the books,  
You've watched the shows,  
What's the best way no one knows, _

_Jake and Kitty  
_Fake a smile, yeah, lie and say that,  
You're better now than ever, and your life's okay  
When it's not. No.  
You're doing all these things out of desperation,  
You're going through six degrees of separation

_Kitty  
__First, you think the worst is a broken heart_

_Artie  
__What's gonna kill you is the second part_

_Tina  
__And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle_

_Jake  
__And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself_

_Marley  
__Fifth, you see them out with someone else_

_Finn  
__And the sixth, is when you admit you may have screwed up a little_

_Artie and Jake  
__Oh no there ain't no help, it's every man for himself  
No no there ain't no help, it's every man for himself_

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Found time to do this. Next one out prob a month from now. Michellie is back next episode yay!

**Songs:  
**Lovefool by The Cardigans sung by Kitty, Marley and Tina  
I'll Be by Edwin McCain sung by Ryder  
Story of Us by Taylor Swift sung by Marley and Jake  
Honesty by Billy Joel sung by Artie  
Six Degrees of Separation by The Script sung by Finn, Tina, Artie, Kitty, Marley and Jake


	13. 13) Spy Spy

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 13  
Spy Spy**

* * *

**Storylines: **  
Ryder and Aylin: Both decide to do something useful for the club by spying on Vocal Adrenaline  
Sam and Unique: The duo wants to spy on their arch rivals but find some of their own doing the same

* * *

"We shouldn't be doing this. What if we get caught?" Ryder hissed. He hid behind the row of chair as if it were his shield. His whole body squashed into a tiny ball.

"Well, you said you wanted to do something useful for the club, this was the first thing that came to mind," Aylin hissed back.

And in that moment, Ryder realised that he has chosen one hell of a weird girl to be his new friend. Never has he met anyone who's definition of "helping" means breaking the rules.

"The whole club seemed pretty upset about this Vocal Adrenaline," Aylin explained, "Sorry for being the new girl who wants to leave an impression."

"A bad impression," Ryder pointed out. If they were caught, New Directions could potentially be disqualified from Nationals. But Aylin wasn't worried about that at all, claiming that Vocal Adrenaline would have too much ego to win that way.

Well, he can't say much anyway. The only reason they won Sectionals this year was because they got the other two teams disqualified.

"We know one of the songs they're singing already. We just need to find out what's the solo that Jean guy is singing."

Ryder peered through the gaps in the chairs. "Can't it be that song he's singing now?"

Jean was on stage, with a few other members of Vocal Adrenaline. He was singing a rendition of "Feels Like The First Time" by Foreigner. But everyone on stage seemed quite relaxed and in no way drilled to be performing.

"They seem more like they are on a break," muttered Aylin, as she surveyed the crowd. She plopped back down and winked at Ryder. "I got an idea."

"Please not something that will get us in further trouble."

"Oh ho," she giggled and then let out a small squeak when Ryder pinched her to stop. "We're not in any trouble yet."

"Have you always been like this?"

"I've been sneaking into concerts since I was five," Aylin boasted, but Ryder didn't buy it at all, "If you aren't caught, you aren't in trouble."

She got up from her squatting position and moved towards the edge of the chairs.

"What are you doing?" Ryder raised his voice in alarm. Still keeping the casual whisper, but in a more pressured tone of voice.

"Not getting caught," she flung her head around, swinging her luscious brown hair along. "You coming or not? We're going to find the twins."

Ryder shook his head in disagreement as Aylin crawled out of sight. But knowing that he can't possibly leave her alone, he shortly traced her steps.

Aylin flew down the stairs of the theatre and squished herself through an open door. Ryder hurriedly chased after her, making sure that no one saw them. They were now near the back of the stage.

"Come on!" Aylin gleefully poked him and rushed towards the changing areas.

**Glee**

"They're on the move," Sam whispered over to Unique, who was trying her best to juggle between staying out of sight and getting a good look at Vocal Adrenaline.

"I can see that, Sam" Although she really couldn't. She was lying flat down on the dirty ground, with her arms directly below her body to prevent the dirt from touching her blouse.

"Should we follow them? I think they know where the twins are."

"How the hell would they know?" she snapped, chugging her jeweled necklace across her neck.

"Well, they're not on stage, so..."

"I know they're not on stage, I can see!" Although she really couldn't. At all.

"You're beginning to sound a lot like Tina sometimes," Sam shook his head and started heading down the stairs.

Unique followed suit, complaining to herself for getting them into this mess. All they wanted to do was to find the twins and instill some fear in them. It was their only chance of winning, or so the two of them thought. But then they overheard Aylin and Ryder talking about spying on Vocal Adrenaline to see what song Jean was singing, so they just decided to stalk them instead.

Sam teetered through the door, rushing Unique to follow him. But Unique was moving too slowly, afraid that Jean would just turn around mid-song and catch them in the act.

"Hurry!" Sam mouthed. Since his mouth was so huge, it was incredibly easy to tell whatever he tries to silently say.

Unique pouted and widened her eyes, nodding her head towards Jean, who was just about to finish his song. But just as Sam decided to leave her behind and close the door, she hurried up and pushed him out of the way. They both then slowly made their way to their backstage.

"Now, this is a place we can never afford to book," Sam commented, swinging his head around to look at Unique.

But Unique didn't pay attention to his words, his swishing blonde hair just made her think of the advertisements for Loreal shampoo. And she would never admit this out loud, but she's very jealous of Sam's hair.

"Wait," Sam urged suddenly, halting in place.

Unique waited for awhile before finally giving up. "What?"

"You hear that?"

"You think I'll be asking if I heard anything?" Unique snapped. She pushed Sam out of the way and proceeded forward.

"Okay, now I hear something."

"Told you," hissed Sam.

"You were blocking the sound."

"That's not possible."

"How would you know? Didn't you get a zero in your SATs?" Unique assaulted. She squinted her eyes at the shocked blonde before heading towards the direction of the noise.

Not long after, they found themselves outside a half-opened door.

"What are they doing?"

"Singing," Unique said, peeping into the room and confirming that Ryder and Aylin were indeed inside.

_Nellie  
__Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right_

_Michael  
__Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear_

_Michael and Nellie  
'Cause though the truth may vary_  
_This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore_  
_  
Don't listen to a word I say  
The screams all sound the same  
Though the truth may vary  
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore_

"That was amazing, guys," marveled Aylin.

"Yeah, well, if only our club was more fun like that, I would actually enjoy going for it," Michael laughed.

Nellie shook her head, keeping her keyboard as she said, "You two are so lucky. Your glee club looks way more fun than ours."

"But you guys are so much better than us," Ryder admitted, making Unique and Sam wince at his proclamation.

"It doesn't matter if Vocal Adrenaline or New Directions is better," Michael groaned, "It's just a stupid competition. If it's not fun preparing for it, there's no point."

"Our parents always told us that it's more important to enjoy the journey," Nellie pursed her lips together. She packed up her case and then sat on a nearby block. "And practicing twelve hours a day, every day, is just torture."

"That long?" Aylin gasped in disbelief.

"Just doing the same songs over and over again," Michael twirled his finger around. Something Nellie immediately stopped him from doing.

"But it's not all that bad right? You get to play songs you like..."

Ryder cut himself halfway as Michael and Nellie spontaneously shook their heads.

"We never do, it's only during break times do we actually just sing like just now," Nellie explained. "And it's just the two of us, because it's such tough competition to get lead spots and everyone hates us for getting it."

Aylin wanted to compliment them on their singing just to give them some merit, but it's obvious from Nellie's aggressive tone that they didn't see an upside to being chosen to sing.

"No friends, nothing," Nellie looked away, rubbing tears from her eyes.

"Well, you got us," Ryder smiled, trying to get her to look at him.

"Oh, yes, the competition. You're probably just here to spy on our practices, right?" Michael mocked, enjoying the look of guilt on Ryder and Aylin's faces.

"Please," Nellie turned back at them with red eyes, "No one ever talks to me, so it's pretty obvious you're just here for information."

"I thought Aylin's flirting was what gave us away," Ryder joked. But it wasn't taken as a joke.

"Everyone flirts with Michael, it wasn't really that special."

Michael just sat there looking nonchalant. It was a fact Nellie always seemed to bring up.

"Anyway," Michael got up from his seat, leading the two New Directioners towards the door, "thanks for listening, but we can't give you any information."

Ryder sighed and nodded, and then headed for the door before Aylin stopped him.

"Wait, sorry," she bit hard on her lips, "Look, we did come here for information, but you guys are pretty cool."

Nellie looked up at her in complete shock. "Cool?" she echoed.

"We were planning to find out what songs you would be singing at Nationals, but I really did enjoy talking to you two more. Plus, Michael's super cute."

With that, she gave a wink towards Michael, who simply looked away in embarrassment. Ryder did too, of course, because he simply couldn't stand it when Aylin does such stuff.

"You're just trying to get on our good side," Nellie waved her off.

"How about a song, hmm? After that I promise to not bug you guys," Aylin pleaded. "If I ask anything related to your setlist, you can throw me out the door."

Nellie looked to Michael, who just shrugged. They sat there in silence for awhile before finally agreeing.

"What song?" Nellie asked quietly.

Ryder finally decided to speak again, walking towards the group and saying "Why not Perfect by P!nk?"

"Oh my god, yes!" Aylin laughed, "You look so uncomfortable about yourself, it's the perfect song to sing!"

Ryder immediately felt the urge to cover Aylin's mouth from speaking further, but he had to contain it. She was being way out of line and too cheerful to be talking about such stuff. Fortunately for them, Nellie didn't seem to mind it, like she's already at peace with her insecurities.

"Did you see what I did there?" Aylin continued laughing, "Perfect is the perfect song!"

Ryder faked a giggle a bit, cueing Michael and Nellie to join in before Aylin finally stopped.

"Want to do a guitar cover?" Michael asked, as he picked up his guitar again. He passed an extra one to Nellie as she shoved around her pockets for her pick..

"Sure," Ryder nodded as he lead Aylin to take a seat as well.

_Michael  
__Made a wrong turn once or twice  
Dug my way out, blood and fire  
Bad decisions, that's alright  
Welcome to my silly life_

_Aylin  
__Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood  
Miss 'No way, it's all good'  
It didn't slow me down.  
Mistaken, always second guessing  
Underestimated, look I'm still around_

"Should we stop them?" Sam whispered.

"What?" Unique chided, "Yes, Sam, go ahead, barge right in."

"You don't have to be so rude."

"We came here to observe how good they are," Unique continued scolding, "I thought you at least had the intelligence to know that this is the perfect time to do it!"

With that, she pressed her head harder against the door.

_Nellie_  
_Exchange ourselves and we do it all the time  
Why do we do that, why do I do that_

_Aylin  
__Why do I do that?_

_Ryder  
__Yeah!_

"Oh man, that girl can rap," Sam muttered.

"Shh!"

_Ryder (Aylin)  
__Pretty, pretty please,  
Don't you ever, ever feel (don't you ever)__  
__Like you're less than (like you're less than)  
Less than perfect_

_Michael (Aylin)  
__Pretty, pretty please,  
If you ever, ever feel  
Like you're nothing (like nothing)  
You are perfect to me_

_Nellie  
__You're perfect, you're perfect  
To me_

"Now, do we stop them?" Sam asked.

"Of course," Jean's voice rang from behind him. Sam froze in his squatting position, in contrast to Unique who immediately sprang up.

"What are you doing here?" Unique gritted her teeth.

"I should be asking you that, we're the ones who booked the place," Jean smirked and cocked his head to the side.

"We're just leaving," Unique proudly proclaimed, unable to find anything else to say.

Just then, the door to the dressing room flew open and Ryder and Aylin walked outside.

"Uh oh," uttered Aylin.

Jean shook his head and started laughing. "Is your whole club here?"

"Shut up," Unique spat and then signalled for the other three to leave with her.

Sam finally got up and rushed after an already leaving Unique, dragging Ryder and Aylin behind him.

Aylin only managed to give a small wave goodbye to her two new friends before they were pulled out of sight.

**Glee**

"What were you two thinking?" Finn asked the four students in front of them. His face was full of incomprehension.

"Relax," Unique scrounged up her face, "It's not like he's going to report it."

"And why won't he?"

"Because he wants a challenge, Finn." Unique rolled her eyes, as if she were stating the obvious.

Ryder and Aylin stayed out of the conversation, letting Sam and Unique handle all the heat.

"You know, for a Glee club," Aylin whispered to Ryder, "You sure have a lot of drama here."

Ryder nodded in agreement, "We have this sort of thing every time. And it's been happening really frequently these past few weeks."

"Sam, I thought you ought to know better," Finn shook his head in annoyance.

"Says the guy who slashed Vocal Adrenaline's tyres in New Directions' first year," Unique blurted out, defending Sam before he even had the chance to open his mouth.

"Enough," Finn glared at Unique. "I don't want this to happen again."

He turned to look at Ryder and Aylin, winked at them before taking his leave.

"What was that?" Unique immediately turned around and pointed at Ryder and Aylin.

"What was what?" Ryder asked innocently.

"He told you to go, didn't he?"

"We're not allowed to say that. A teacher isn't supposed to encourage this type of behaviour," Aylin giggled.

"So," asked Sam, "Finn told you to go?"

"Actually, we asked for permission," Ryder nodded his head a little. But he could see the frustration in Unique.

"Well, he shouldn't have," she burst out, "We didn't accomplish anything, and now you two are friends with the enemies."

"They're nice people, Unique," Ryder groaned, "Maybe if you got to actually know them, you would like them. And were'nt you a transfer from Vocal Adrenaline? Maybe we can get them to transfer too."

"Not everyone in America can afford to transfer schools, Ryder!" Unique screamed.

"You transferred, I transferred, Sam transferred twice!"

Aylin was slightly taken aback, "There's so many transfer students?"

"Half the club are transfers," Sam explained, before finally managing to break up the fight between Ryder and Unique.

"This isn't a way to solve things," he said.

"You want us to sing about it?" mocked Unique, who turned heels to walk out the door.

"We're a team, we shouldn't be fighting about this."

"Nor should we be talking to the other side. When I talked to the other side last year it was because I wanted to join them, you guys! Now, these two seem like they want to join Vocal Adrenaline!"

"Is she always this dramatic?" Aylin asked, a bit too loud that Unique could hear.

"Watch your mouth, young lady," Unique pointed to her once again.

"Sheesh, you're only a year older than me and you're acting like my Grandma," Aylin rolled her eyes.

"Stop it!" Sam screamed.

Finally, there was silence. And Sam had the courage to make amends. The only way to stop the fighting was to give every one time to think. Or, so he thought. Everyone left angry at everyone, then decided to meet again the morning of the next day to resolve it. But there was no use crying over spilt milk, the only thing they can do now is move forward. Ryder would agree to stop talking to Vocal Adrenaline, and Unique would agree to calm down. Sam knew almost nothing about Aylin except her flirtatiousness, which she had successfully tried on him several times, so he isn't very sure if she would compromise.

**Glee**

_Aylin  
__Call all the ladies out  
They're in their finery  
A hundred jewels on throats  
A hundred jewels between teeth_

_Sam  
__Now bring my boys in  
Their skin in craters like the moon  
The moon we love like a brother  
While he glows through the room_

_Unique and Aylin  
__Dancin' around the lies we tell  
Dancin' around big eyes as well  
Even the comatose they don't dance and tell_

_Sam  
__We live in cities you'll never see on screen  
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things_

_Ryder  
__Living in ruins of a palace within my dreams  
And you know, we're on each other's team  
We're on each other's team  
And you know, and you know, and you know_

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Thanks for the reviews! Nationals will be near the end so I can squeeze in 22 chapters till the end of their year. Joe storyline up next, along with something else down the road for him because I realised I haven't been focusing too much on him. Damn for the writers resolving his Christian-gay storyline in 5 mins, it was so stupid. Now, I have to find something else for him. Nice Sugar storyline, if I may say so XD, in ep16 for those who like her too!

**Songs:  
**Feels Like The First Time by Foreigner sung by Jean  
Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men sung by Michael and Nellie  
Perfect by P!nk sung by Michael, Nellie, Ryder and Aylin  
Team by Lorde sung by Unique, Sam, Ryder and Aylin


	14. 14) Disposition

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 14  
Disposition**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Joe and Ryder: The two find a way to make Aylin more open with the club  
Aylin: She struggles with the decision to be vulnerable for once

* * *

_Marley  
Sweet disposition_  
_Never too soon_

_Jake  
__Oh, reckless abandon  
Like no one's watching you_

_Joe  
__A moment_

_Sugar  
__Of love_

_Unique  
__A dream_

_Kitty  
__A laugh_

_Jake  
__A kiss_

_Aylin  
__A cry_

_Ryder  
__Our rights_

_Marley  
__Our wrongs_

_Blaine  
__A moment of love_

_Tina, Artie and Sam  
__A dream  
A laugh_

_Blaine  
__A moment of love_

_Tina, Artie and Sam  
__A dream  
A laugh_

_Sam  
__So stay there_

"Stop," Blaine's voice echoed through the air, "stop, stop, stop."

"Blaine, what's wrong?" asked a puzzled Finn.

"It's the song, it just doesn't seem to have that," Blaine snapped his fingers, trying to get a word.

"Wow factor?" Artie butted in.

Blaine pointed at him and nodded. "Wow factor."

"That's just because you don't have a solo verse in it, right?" Unique scoffed, and a few heads nodded in agreement with him.

"No," Blaine chuckled, waving the comment off.

"Bitch, please." Kitty shook her head and wandered off. "If we're not going to use this song as our forth, I might as well just go home now."

Finn sighed and dismissed the club, praising them for their good work today. He then called for Blaine and Artie to see him.

"I'll meet you later," Artie whispered to Kitty before leaving her side.

And as if to take his place, Joe appeared right up beside her.

"What?"

"I was just wondering," Joe muttered, "Do you know anything about Aylin?"

"Why, are you having a crush on her?"

"No. She acted weirdly during the duets competition and I thought, as a club, we can help her."

Kitty seemed to have ignored the whole of his second sentence, saying "You know, usually people get flustered when I accuse them of liking someone."

Joe looked at her, confused. He felt that he didn't have any reason to be embarrassed so he didn't understand what Kitty was implying.

"You really need to get out more." Concluded Kitty, before adding "poor, weird soul" sympathetically under her breath.

She told Joe to go find Ryder, since he's been glued to Aylin ever since she came into the club and then took her leave. Joe politely thanked her before searching for Ryder.

"Ryder!" Joe called out as he ran towards the McKinley's new back liner.

"What is it, man?"

"I was wondering if Aylin is okay," Joe explained, "You're really close to her, right?"

"Don't worry about Aylin," Ryder smiled and patted Joe on the back. "I'll make sure she's alright."

"But, we're a club. New Directions always help each other when one is in need."

Ryder looked towards Joe, who looked uncharacteristically determined.

"So, you want to find out why she cried during our duet?"

Joe nodded.

"You're not the first to ask," Ryder chuckled.

"Do you know what troubles she might be facing? As a devoted member of New Directions, I think we should try our best to make her feel more welcomed and open."

"It sounds like you have a crush on her," Ryder teased.

"I don't" Joe replied with no emotion at all. His face was so blank that it gave Ryder the creeps.

Ryder slowly nodded and begin to wonder if he should tell Joe all he knew. He didn't know much, but anything would be useful. He wants to help Aylin too. Besides, Joe had helped convince Sugar to stay in New Directions when she was planning to leave. Heck, the guy even managed to rope the whole of the glee club to do that.

"Okay," Ryder groaned, "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anybody else unless she permits it, alright?"

"Did she tell you not to tell anybody else?"

"No. I made this call, it'll be horrible if everyone tried to help her at once. But, I only know a little bit and I guess it's safe to say," commented Ryder.

The two then walked down the hallway with Ryder telling Joe everything he could.

**Glee**

Aylin held her books tight against her chest as her legs rushed ahead. She flung her left arm forwards, shaking it to get the face of her watch in her sights.

"Damn it," she muttered as she zigzagged her way to the auditorium.

"Sorry, I was in the bathroom," Aylin announced as she pushed the doors open. But in there, all she saw was a huge circular bench with every member of New Directions present. "Is this for a new routine?"

"No," Ryder patted down on a space beside him, "Why don't you take a seat first?"

"Where'd you guys get this? It looks sick," Aylin beamed as she headed to where Ryder was.

All eyes were on her, but she didn't seem to even notice.

"You didn't tell her why she was here?" Marley whispered to Joe, who just shook his head.

Joe had told everyone to meet in the auditorium early to help Aylin out with her problem but it was Ryder who posted it in the New Directions Whatsapp group to get Aylin there. Without a phone, Joe was in the dark about what Aylin has been told.

"Well, are you going to tell her now?" urged Marley.

Jake chuckled nearby, "Give it a little time, I want to see her expression when she finds out something's wrong."

But before Joe could even consider that, Sugar piped up, "She doesn't even look sad, what are we doing this for?"

"Sugar!" Ryder snapped, shutting her up.

Aylin finally got the chance to look about, confused about what's going on. Every face she looked at reflected a rather sympathetic or downcast expression.

"This isn't an intervention is it?" Aylin laughed, trying to raise the spirits in the room. "I mean, this is all for me?"

She could feel her happy-go-lucky self slipping away as everyone's piercing stares locked onto her face.

"How can you not tell her?" scoffed Blaine, who was at the front seat shaking his head.

Aylin clenched her fists on the bench, which looked familiar to everyone but her. New Directions had used it in their performance of "Say" before and they thought it would be perfect to use for any future discussions.

Ryder leaned in to fill Aylin in on what was going on. With each word her jaw was dropping down lower and lower from her face.

"Look, Aylin, you don't have to be ashamed of your problems," Tina reassured her, "We've all got some baggage, but they disappear after a while."

"Just to be clear, we're not forcing you to share," Artie chuckled, trying to make Aylin feel at ease. "We just thought we should share some of our stories so you know you're not alone in this."

"Who is up first?" Ryder looked around the room as Marley raised up her hand.

Marley stood up from where she was standing and took a deep breath.

"In my last school, I didn't make any friends. It's not that I didn't try, of course. It's just that no one wants to be friends with the daughter of the big monstrous canteen lady. They didn't bother getting to know me, or my Mom. All they did was assume. And I was the laughing stalk of my whole school for the one year I was there. I was bullied, made fun of, called names and only during this year did I get a wet cold Slushie on my face,"

Most of the Glee club nodded in agreement. Everyone could empathise with the horrors of the ice.

"But I guess that's just culture shock. Every school has a different way to treat the outcast, right? No one wants to be seen with the girl who needs her Mom to knit her sweaters, who needs coupons for the canteen because she can't afford her own food."

With that, Marley sat down and Sugar rose up.

"Hi, I'm Sugar,"

She paused for a reply, but no one answer.

Ryder hissed at her, "Sugar, this isn't a support group."

"Is there a difference? Anyway, it's my turn for a stupid sob story that'll make you want to tell yours."

"Sugar!"

"Ryder, you're supposed to add 'hi' before that. Okay, moving on, to Sugar's spectacular story! When I was 7 and my mother left me, I felt that she didn't want me anymore. My Dad was always working so he barely had time to spend with me, his own daughter. Day after day, I felt completely alone in my mansion and I couldn't stand it anymore so one day, I just decided that I wanted to end it all."

Sugar paused and took out an apple from her bag. She held it tight and whispered something to it before looking up and staring at all of them with serious eyes.

"I tried to kill myself."

"What?" Aylin gasped, "How?"

"I threw myself in my ball pit and tried to suffocate myself."

By this time, most of the New Direction members had already turned away in embarrassment.

"Is that... possible?" Aylin turned towards Joe.

"I don't even know what a ball pit is."

Aylin looked around at the other members for answers and the suppressed emotions they hung on their face were obvious signs.

"Okay, who's next?" Ryder chimed.

One after another, the members of New Direction shared their story, except Sam, who felt that he was very lucky that he had nothing to share. And in the midst, Joe and Ryder sung a lovely rendition of "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran, much to Aylin's urging. She already knew they had a song prepared and she had wanted to get it over with. But by the time the last member had shared their story, the bell had rung and many of them had to go for class.

Aylin thanked them on their way out and stood alone in the auditorium. She walked towards the edge and gently sat down, reviewing and recalling the stories of her new friends.

"This is new," Aylin murmured to herself. It was the first time anyone really showed much real interest in her. Not in a romantic way like when she tries to get guys to, but in a friendly way. She never had real friends before, much like Marley and Joe. She had been a loner. But now when she has friends, she had been thinking of pushing them away.

_Aylin  
__No, I don't remember  
What brought us to this  
What places we blindly passed  
What turns we missed_

What Aylin didn't realise was that Ryder, Joe, Unique and Blaine had stayed back. They did not have any classes but have decided to move to the sidelines to see what Aylin would do.

_Aylin  
__'Cause I dont remember  
Love needles and the hay  
The life I knew by heart  
And lived every day  
The secret codes and signs  
You and I eye to eye  
Wake me up, hurt me, you have to  
I forgot how to cry_

"Then let us teach you," Unique urged, coming out of the shadows.

"It's okay to be a little bit sensitive," Blaine explained, stepping out with the others.

"Sensitive?" Aylin chocked on her laugh. "Sensitive got me bullied, Blaine."

"What exactly did they do?" Joe asked innocently. His face full of curiosity and sympathy.

"This," Aylin pointed directly to them, "is what I didn't want."

She wiped her eyes and stormed out of the auditorium. "Save me your pity," she croaked as she ran past Ryder.

**Glee**

"We need to find a way to bring her back," Ryder explained to Joe. It wasn't something Joe didn't know. But they had no idea how. Aylin is pissed, maybe they just need to leave her alone for a while.

"You two," Kitty walked up towards Ryder and Joe. "What did you do to Aylin?"

"Yeah, she's been crying in the toilet for an hour," Marley said, suddenly appearing behind Kitty.

Ryder had his mouth agape, but Joe simply replied, "You just left her there?"

"No, we're not so stupid and useless as friends," Kitty scolded, "Sam and Jake are with her now."

"In the girl's washroom?" Joe asked, shocked.

"Yes, 19th Century, that happens every time in this day and era."

"We should go help," exclaimed Ryder.

Kitty stopped him, telling him to back off since it was his fault that Aylin was upset in the first place.

"Kitty, stop," Aylin cried out from behind the girls.

Aylin walked up towards the quartet, with Sam and Jake trailing behind.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Aylin groaned, her usual confident demeanour completely gone. "I overreacted."

Joe and Ryder tried to comfort her, telling her that it wasn't.

"Guys," Sam called out, "Just hear her out, okay?"

Marley wrapped an arm around Aylin to comfort her.

"Look," Aylin sighed, "I'm just used to this. It's a different sort of attention I've been getting over the years."

"And," she continued, "I know you're all still wondering what my big problem is. Some of you might have already guessed that because I'm Muslim, I get a lot of shit from people. That's true, but that's not a big problem I have in my life. That's stopped, that's gone and I'm over it."

Joe and Ryder pressed in their lips and looked at each other.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that I'm this way not because people discriminated against my religion. That happens but I don't care. I rub it off like it's nothing because those people aren't worth it. But my Dad took it to heart, all the insults and all the pain."

"Your Dad?" Jake blurted out in shock.

"Yes, my Dad. My whole family kept telling him that it didn't matter but he got fired from his job because of it. Every day, he would tell us how miserable his day was. One day, I think he just couldn't take it anymore, so he..."

She didn't have to say anything for everyone to realise what happened. The group was met with an air of uncomfortable silence for a while before Aylin apologised for weighting them with her burdens and tried to walk away.

"No, don't," Joe stepped in front of her. "That's what we all are here for, we're here for you. And we know you're here for us too. That's how Glee club works."

"We've all got our baggage, but that doesn't mean we can't seek help to carry it," Kitty nudged Aylin playfully.

"Let us help you move on, we're your friends after all," Ryder smiled, warming up Aylin's heart.

She let out a small giggle and agreed, getting a hug from the group.

**Glee**

_Blaine__  
__Ooooo! I'll believe when the sky is burning_

_Jake__  
I'll believe when I see the view_

_Ryder__  
__I believe that I heard them say_

_Tina__  
"David won't you stop dreaming now?"_

_Artie__  
__And everybody clap your hands and shout_

_Kitty__  
And everybody clap your hands and shout_

_Unique and Joe  
__We are young, we are one  
Let us shine for what it's worth_

_Kitty and Sam__  
To your place, place, place  
We're on our way, way, way  
We're on our way, way, way  
We're on our way_

_Marley and Ryder  
__Hold me close  
We're losing time  
Hold me close  
We're falling to the ground_

"Oh wow, guys!" Finn exclaimed, "That was amazing."

The whole New Directions started cheering and laughing.

"Okay, so what do you guys think about using this song for Nationals?"

Aylin perked her hand up and answered, "I think we should use it as a closing number."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"It's not dance heavy or vocally impressive like all the other songs," Aylin continued explaining, "But it'll show everyone, and the judges, just how close we all are."

With that, she grabbed the arms of Joe and Ryder, who were standing beside her. And soon, everyone was joining hands and giggling.

"Hang on, I'm going to take a picture of this," Finn laughed, taking his phone out and asking them to pose handsomely.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Sorry, this took forever! I've been way too busy to care about this but I'll write when I have time :)

**Songs:  
**Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap sung by Blaine, Artie, Sam, Tina, Sugar, Joe, Jake, Ryder, Marley, Kitty, Unique and Aylin  
I See Fire by Ed Sheeran sung by Joe and Ryder  
No, I Don't Remember by Anna Ternheim sung by Aylin  
On Our Way by The Royal Concept sung by Blaine, Artie, Sam, Tina, Joe, Jake, Ryder, Marley, Kitty and Unique


	15. 15) Time to Shine

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 15  
Time to Shine**

* * *

**Storylines:**

Kitty: Seeing all the seniors make plans for their future makes her question what she wants to do when it's her time to decide.

Blaine and Sam: The duo make plans to ensure their future.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Marley tapped Kitty, snapping her back into reality.

Kitty had just had lunch with Artie, Blaine and Sam, and all they could talk about were their plans after graduation. Artie making rooming arrangements with the New York trio and the other two talking about college applications. They were all so intent on deciding everything and making sure that nothing goes wrong once they graduate. Everyone's in such a hurry to leave this town, she thought.

"It's just..." Kitty trailed off.

"Something about Artie?"

"No, not like that," Kitty muttered, "It's more like, what am I going to do when it's my turn to graduate?"

Kitty knew that Marley wanted to be a radio singer, she had been very vocal about it; Jake wanted to play professional basketball and Ryder wanted to be an accountant. Accountant, for crying out loud. That must be the most boring job in the world. Of course when she had said that to Ryder, he shrugged it off.

"Everyone seems to have a plan, even Sugar."

"That doesn't count," Marley giggled, "She plans to do nothing!"

"Yes, but she's stinking rich, so it doesn't really matter," moaned the blonde cheerleader, "I don't even have a clue what I want to do with my life."

Marley stared at her in silence. A whole year with Kitty and she had no idea what her interests were. Then again, if Kitty didn't know what she was interested in, who else would? No one could possibly know you as well as you know yourself.

Just then, Unique came bouncing into the classroom. After a brief apology to Mrs. Theodore, she grabbed a chair and flopped down beside Marley. Her small talk with Marley became so unbearable to Kitty that she finally shot up and walked out of class.

As she waltzed down the hallways, posters of universities flooded her eyes. Great, she thought, more future opportunities to make me feel so disinterested. Studying had never appealed to her. College had never appealed to her. In actual fact, nothing had ever appealed to her.

"Hey, didn't you have class now?" Artie rolled himself up to her from behind. Sam and Blaine trailed behind.

"Didn't care for it," Kitty said, and then declined an offer by Sam to go look at nearby universities. "I have better things to do."

**Glee**

Sam had looked through five different universities, but after checking tuition prices and admission fees, he's left all in whole-hearted disappointment.

"You'll find one you love, eventually," Quinn had said. But after getting advice from almost all his friends, he realised that all their views were pretty much useless.

"Urgh, this is so pointless," Sam groaned as he walked out of yet another college, "None of these nearby colleges are affordable."

"Maybe you need to go to one which is nearer to Kentucky," Blaine suggested, "It's near where you'll be staying anyway."

But Sam has checked the universities at Kentucky. All of them were just as equally, if not more, expensive. 'Don't give up' is all Blaine can offer now. However, Sam's been increasingly certain that he should just go back home and find a small job in town.

"Remember the time you told Mercedes you wanted to just go back home and live a simple life, and then she sat you down, and then she and Quinn sang you that song?"

Sam, of course, remembered it like yesterday. It was an amazing song, and it motivated him to keep looking for an opportunity to go to college.

_Quinn  
__There can be miracles  
When you believe  
Though hope is frail  
It's hard to kill_

_Mercedes with Quinn  
__Who knows what miracle  
You can achieve  
When you believe  
Somehow you will  
You will when you believe_

_Mercedes__  
In this time of fear  
When prayer so often proves in vain  
Hope seems like the summer birds  
Too swiftly flown away  
Yet now I am standing here  
My heart's so full, I can't explain  
Seeking faith and speaking words  
I never thought I'd say_

But that fire has long died. After months of failure and disappointment, nothing can raise his spirits anymore.

"I guess dreams remain dreams for most of us," Sam uttered before leaving with grim written all over his face.

**Glee**

He had long knew that it was a lost cause for Sam to get into a college but Blaine had been persistent anyway. He wanted Sam to have the same hope he had on his chances in entering NYADA. Like Quinn and Mercedes, Rachel had sung a beautiful cover of Wake Me Up by Avicii. He can still recall that moment, when he was breath-taken by how beautiful the song was, by how much Rachel's singing had improved. The few lines she sung had already demonstrated how much she had grown because of NYADA and he wants the same for himself.

"Blaine," his father calls out from downstairs, "Mail from NYADA!"

The news made him drop everything and sprint down the stairs. Sam joined him soon enough and Blaine finally had his fate in his hands.

"Go on, Blaine, open it," Sam insisted, and Blaine's father chimed in as well.

He had been waiting forever for this moment, but he's still hesitant on opening it.

"I don't want to," he confessed, "Not until you find a college to go to." Blaine looked to Sam, who stood dumbfounded.

Blaine's father told him to open it whenever he's ready and then took off to bed, while Sam continued to pester him.

"Just open it, dude."

"No, I stand by my statement."

"Rachel would want to know whether you got in or not!"

"Well, I don't care about Rachel now," Blaine burst out, "I want you to have more conviction in finding a good college to go to."

Both of them knew that would be impossible. Blaine didn't even know why he was making such a demand. Perhaps his own fear of not making it into NYADA is messing with his mind, forcing him to postpone reading his fate.

"Fine," Sam said, feeling frustrated at Blaine's requests. He went back to his room and shut the door behind him.

**Glee**

Kitty lied down on her bed, facing the dimly lit ceiling of her room. She had been wondering what she would want to do in the future for a while now, but every feasible idea seem to end in indifference.

"I want to be a star!" She had read that in the diary she owned five years ago. 'A star' sheesh, how predictable for an 11-year-old girl. Everybody dreams of being famous and talented when they are younger, and when they grow up, they'll get hit with an unwanted dose of reality.

"No one grows up becoming what they wanted to be," she sighed to herself. But still, what she wrote in that journal isn't untrue. She did want to be a star, she did want to be famous. How will that ever happen though? She's a good dancer, but barely any dancers ever become famous. In fact, she can't even name a well-known dancer.

She threw the journal back onto her desk, which knocked a card off the table. The red velvet card swooped down onto the ground gracefully, carefully avoiding the rubbish bin beside the messy desk.

Kitty groaned and stood up to pick up the card, before realising that it was a card that Jake had written for her for her birthday months back. It had an elaborate design at its borders and the words were written with such care that it looked like it was printed. She remembered thinking how hardworking Jake was with her card, and how she didn't understand why.

But reading what Jake wrote once more was like a slap to her face. Here she was, thinking about how untalented she is, and there Jake was writing about how amazing a dancer and singer she was. Kitty gingerly placed the card back onto the desk then realised that the rest of her birthday cards were on the table as well.

"Wouldn't hurt I guess," she muttered, and she was right. Because every single card reminded her of how amazing she as in her friends' eyes. Joe wrote about what a compassionate and considerate person she is despite the front she puts on; Ryder wrote about the depth of character she had and how entertaining she is; Blaine wrote about how she's such a great contributor to New Direction's success and the list goes on. She even had a card from Artie, but she was too emotional to read it. Anyway, she already knew what was written in it. Praises and more praises. About her talent, about her personality.

She let out a chuckle and she tied up all the cards together. If her friends believed that she's bound to be successful, why doesn't she believe in herself.

_Kitty  
__They're not gonna keep me down  
They're not gonna shut me out  
They're gonna do what they do, I'll do me  
Something original, be unforgettable  
They're gonna know my name_

_One day I'll make you a believer_  
_One day I got this all I need is_  
_One day don't try to tell me I can't_  
_Right now I'm writing the future_  
_Watch out Won't stop I'm a mover_  
_One day you're gonna know who I am_  
_I will fly high and free_  
_It's my fate wait and see one day_

**Glee**

"What exactly are we looking for?" Joe asked a very impatient Sam.

"Just something cheap?" Sam snapped back.

"Exactly what is 'cheap'? From past experiences, we have very different definitions of that term," Sugar snapped back.

They were all on their phones - Joe, Sugar, Marley, Ryder and Unique. Being employed by Sam to help him find a college was turning out more stressful than they initially thought. Ryder and Unique had already found multiple colleges near where Sam's family stayed but all of them were already dismissed by Sam months ago.

"This is pointless, you've already studied all these colleges," Unique grunted with annoyance.

"Yeah, well," retorted Sam, "Blaine said he won't read his NYADA letter until I settled on a college. Besides, my family wants me to go to a college too, if possible."

"Wait," Joe interjected, "he received his NYADA letter already? Shouldn't he just read it, I mean, Rachel would want to know too right?"

"Thank you!" Sam exclaimed, thankful that someone shared the same thought as he did.

Yet, if things didn't seem dull at the start, it's definitely dull now.

"Forget it," Sam sighed, "There's nothing."

"So, what are you going to do?" Marley asked worriedly.

"I'll just go back to Kentucky after graduation and figure it out there."

With that, everyone left, leaving Sam alone. But after a short moment, Marley came back. She claims she forgot her phone, but suddenly sat down beside Sam and tried to comfort him.

"It's not easy not having the same opportunities as others, because of our financial issue," she reassured him. "You don't have to hate yourself over it."

"I don't, I just feel like I'm letting other people down."

"Well, you're not, okay Sam?" She nudged him in the waist and then proceeded to walk away slowly. Then, she turned around and did a sad wave before running to catch up with the others.

**Glee**

_Sam  
__I'll use you as a warning sign  
That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind  
I'll use you as a focal point  
So I don't lose sight of what I want_

_Sam and Blaine  
__I've moved further than I thought I could  
But I miss you more than I thought I would  
I'll use you as a warning sign_

_Blaine  
__That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind_

"That was awesome, guys," Finn applauded, as the rest of New Directions followed suit.

"Yeah, incredible," Sugar said, exasperated, "Maybe we can just skip to the part where Blaine opens his letter now?"

The whole club stared at her in either bewilderment or shock.

"What letter?" Aylin seemed utterly confused.

"It's his NYADA letter," Ryder whispered back, but loud enough so that everyone heard.

"You got your NYADA acceptance letter and you didn't think of telling me?" Tina wailed. She had, of course, received one too, but didn't want to say anything to Blaine unless he had gotten one too. She was afraid that it was because those that were accepted first received the letter first, so if she had told Blaine she had received one without him getting one, he would've freaked out. Rachel and Kurt got their letters at different times as well. But, she's already opened it and read the contents, and already knew if she was accepted of not.

Blaine looked lost, he did not expect half the club to already know of his letter. Sam quickly apologised to him before running back to sit down.

"With all that talk about your future," Kitty said, "Don't you want to know about it now?"

"Blainey," Tina walked up towards him, "You should only open it when you're ready." She held his hands tight. Blaine, however, did not even respond. He was deep in thought. "Blaine?" she shifted her head such that she was in Blaine's full view.

"Sorry," was all he could say. He then grabbed his bag and left.

**Glee**

"What's up with you lately?" Artie went up right beside Kitty, who was staring at the club sign up boards.

"I don't get what you mean," she replied.

"Every time someone talks about what they want to do after high school, you go completely silent. And it's not just the seniors, even when Marley..."

"Okay, that," Kitty chuckled and moved away, expecting Artie to follow suit. "It's just that I never knew what to say in those situations."

"You don't have a plan?"

"I do, Artie," she stopped to look at her boyfriend straight in the eye, "But it wasn't ever possible. Being known as a dancer? As a performer? How is that possible for someone like me?"

Artie considered her words for a moment, then commented "But you're..."

"Amazing," she finished for him, "I know, you always say that. And you mean it every single time."

Artie looked at her in confusion. Then what's the problem, he wanted to ask, but it didn't seem like the time. Fortunately, she answered anyway.

"It was just me. I couldn't make myself believe that I had a chance. Look at Quinn Fabray, she had so many obstacles in her life to push through and she still got into Yale. It's such a feat. I want to be exactly that, but I never trusted myself to be good enough."

"Now, you know you are?" he asked, trying to be careful with his words.

"Of course, dummy," she walked around to start pushing his wheelchair. "All thanks to you."

"Me?"

"And everyone else," she let out a smile, "It's times like these I understand why you loved this stupid little club so much."

**Glee**

In order to get more practice in before they go to L.A. for Regionals, Finn started conducting more practice sessions for New Directions. When everyone arrived for the second practice that day, Blaine decided to apologise to them for how he acted.

"No, it was our fault for prying," Tina assured him, "It's completely your business."

Blaine smiled and hugged her, "You're always great when it comes to the advice."

"I know," she boasted jokingly.

"Now that that's settled, we should get to practicing," Finn ordered.

New Directions then practiced their choreography and harmonies. They started out with their new addition, Try by P!nk. It was Blaine's suggestion, after everything that happened with him and Sam. Kitty, Sam, Unique, Marley, Joe, Artie and himself took the leading vocals. It took the whole afternoon for the group to learn the new choreography Finn had set up for them, but the lyrics of the song had motivated them to persevere through the exhaustion.

"This is such an appropriate song," Kitty beamed through the perspiration.

Artie nodded in agreement while the rest laughed at the comment.

"Well, let's keep this attitude until we place at Nationals then," Finn cheered.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Yeah, I'm back. I don't know why I suddenly chose to start writing this again, it probably won't get much attention anyway. But I feel obligated to at least try and finish the story since I have quite a lot of free time on my hands now :) So I'll try to finish up all 22 chapters soon, I hope. If you're still reading this, please comment. Even one small comment may motivate me to at least write :D

**Songs:**  
When You Believe by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston sung by Quinn and Mercedes  
Wake Me Up by Avicii sung by Rachel  
One Day by Charice sung by Kitty  
I Found by Amber Run sung by Sam and Blaine  
Try by P!nk sung by Kitty, Blaine, Sam, Unique, Marley, Joe and Artie


	16. 16) Sweet Rappin'

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 16  
Sweet Rappin'**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Finn and Sugar: After much complaint from Sugar about having nothing to do but sway, Finn finally finds something that Sugar is good at.  
Puck and Brittany: Trying to be mentors to New Directions, they try to pass down what they've learnt from their time in New Directions to them.

* * *

Sugar walked into the auditorium alone, carefully looking out for the hulking teenage.

"There you are," Finn exclaimed, running up to Sugar as she closed the door behind her.

"Keep it quick, Finn, this solo sessions are starting to get on my nerves."

Ever since Sugar almost quit New Directions, Finn has been working his butt off trying to find something for her to do other than swaying and prancing about in the back. Sugar's been shown to only be able to deliver a few lyrics at a time before spiralling out of pitch and these lyrics tend to be spoken instead of sung. To say the least, Sugar's been getting very bored of her inconsequential contributions to New Directions. So, Finn's been scheduling solo sessions with her so that they can find out how she can contribute more.

"I think I found something you can try out," Finn paused for dramatic effect, but Sugar never gave him the chance.

"Yeah, looking at all the other bright ideas you had so far, I'm not interested."

"You say you can't sing," continued Finn, whose patience was wearing thin, "But can you rap?"

"Oh my God, no," not one who appreciates rap music, Sugar turned away as fast as she could.

"Just try!" Finn called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. She really wanted to be able to do something in Glee club, and with Nationals right around the corner, the pressure to find something she is good at rises.

She rolled her eyes and took the lyric sheet from Finn. Immediately, she could already tell that she will hate the song.

"The Script? Really?"

"You don't like the script?" shock filled Finn's face. He had never heard anyone disliking the band before. Artie always paraded around humming their songs everywhere and no one ever complained, many actually sing along to the tunes. "Let's just try it first, then you can, like, see if you want to continue trying to rap."

He sat down on one of the auditorium seats and gave Sugar ten minutes to memorise the script, but he was just a stone's throw away from her and he could hear her practice. And she was good, real good.

"Okay, I got it down," Sugar said before she ordered Finn to get the music ready.

"Remember, you don't have to be perfect, we're just seeing if it's a possible avenue we can go down," but Finn already knew that it'll work.

_Sugar  
__It was February 14 Valentine's Day  
The roses came but they took you away  
Tattooed on my arm is a charm to disarm all the harm  
Gotta keep myself calm but the truth is you're gone_

In fact, she's better than Finn had expected. She's got the groove and the rhythm down, the only thing lacking seem to be any sort of emotion. But she's got the hustler attitude and that's what is making the whole session so entertaining.

_Finn  
__I still look for your face in the crowd  
Oh if you could see me now  
Would you stand in disgrace or take a bow  
Oh if you could see me now_

_Sugar_  
Would you call me a saint or a sinner?  
Would you love me a loser or winner?  
When I see my face in the mirror  
We look so alike that it makes me shiver

_Finn  
__I still look for your face in the crowd  
Oh if you could see me now  
Would you stand in disgrace or take a bow  
Oh if you could see me now_  
_you could see me now_

"Nicely done!" Finn clapped his hands at a very unenthusiastic Sugar.

"Are you kidding? That was horrible!" said Sugar, as she hid her face in disgust. She threw down the lyric sheet and flopped down onto a nearby chair.

"No, that was good. And this isn't me trying to be nice."

"Nice is giving Tina the win in Diva week when I was obviously better," she rolled her eyes.

"You... weren't even there..."

"But this is plain delusion, I sounded like crap," Sugar screamed out impatiently. Then, she whipped up her hand bag and proceeded out the auditorium.

**Glee**

"We aren't doing rehearsals today?" shrieked Blaine. His horror was plastered in his face, and in that exact second Finn wondered what Kurt ever saw in him.

"I've decided to hold a very special lesson just for today," Finn explained, "It's important."

"Nationals is next week, Finn" the voice of Sam Evans rose from the crowd, "We only have a few sessions left, we can't waste it doing some weekly lessons like always."

"Why does it matter, ever since sophomore year, we always seem to crack out a setlist and have a fully choreographed number just days before competitions," said Tina, "And if Finn thinks it's important, we should all listen to him."

"Well, I'll be dead by then," Kitty mocked, mimicking the same tone of voice Tina had once used on Finn at the start of the year. This was met with pure hatred seeping through Tina's squinted eyes.

"What's the lesson, Finn?" asked Joe, who seem more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Finn took out a marker and started writing the word 'Rap' on the board.

"No!" Sugar screamed out.

Finn motioned for her to sit down, "Sugar thinks she's not good at rapping, but she's good, like hugely bombastically good. So, I want to see if we've got any other hidden talent here."

Everyone looked around the choir room. Sam and Artie were the rappers for sure. Blaine had tried his hands once at rapping in Regionals, but that had been faced with mixed criticisms. The most common reaction, of course, was directed towards Sugar.

"Girl, you can rap?" Unique, the only one who didn't seem to care about Sugar's feelings, just blurted out.

"I can't!"

"She can," Finn butted in, "And to help you guys along with this assignment, I've gotten some alumni to help us."

"Please don't be Santana, please don't be Santana," Tina chanted.

After a long pause nothing seemed to happen.

"I think that's our cue," a voice came from behind the choir room door, before both Noah Puckerman and Brittany S. Pierce walked through the door.

"Brittany!" they all exclaimed as everyone went to hug the early-graduate.

"Looks like no one's excited to see me," Puck shrugged.

"They see you too often," Finn chuckled, before continuing, "And dude, that was embarrassing. Usually when people introduce someone, they walk through that door straightaway."

"Won't happen again."

After being crowded by the Glee clubbers, Brittany broke free and joined Finn and Puck by the whiteboard. They then ordered the boys and girls to do it separately, with Brittany taking the girls and Puck taking the guys.

"I'll be overseeing the whole thing," explained Finn.

"Sorry to be a buzzkill," Ryder raised his hand, "But do you guys even know how to rap well."

Puck, who was undeniably New Direction's best rapper, just laughed uncontrollably.

"Of course," Brittany chuckled, "I practiced rapping with Lord Tubbington every night before bed, so I got pretty good at it."

"We are so doomed," Unique whispered over to Marley.

In order to convince them that Puck, Brittany and himself were good enough to take them through the assignment, Finn had prepared a song for them to sing. Luckily enough that he did, since no one in the room seemed confident in their abilities.

_Brittany  
__Just gonna stand there and watch me burn_

Instantly, everybody recognises the song. How could they not? They perk their heads up in interest, anticipating the moment the trio rapped.

_Puck  
__I can't tell you what it really is  
I can only tell you what it feels like  
And right now there's a steel knife in my windpipe  
I can't breathe but I still fight while I can fight  
As long as the wrong feels right it's like I'm in flight_

_Finn  
__High off her love, drunk from her hate,  
It's like I'm huffing paint and I love her the more I suffer, I suffocate  
And right before I'm about to drown, she resuscitates me_

"They're not going to do the swear right?" Marley whispered anxiously to Unique. For everyone in the club, vulgarities were just words, and they use it almost every day of their lives. Artie, especially, can't stop accidentally throwing out swear words. But ever since Marley joined the club, everyone had been very wary of their choice of words.

_Brittany__  
But that's alright because I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie_

The end of the song was met with applause and respect. Puck's ability to rap was undeniable, while Finn's was a little rusty, but good nonetheless.

"Alright, alright, alright," Finn gestured for them to calm down, "Now split into your groups, girls get the auditorium, guys you have the choir room."

**Glee**

"I don't get how you're supposed to be able to teach someone to rap," an indifferent Jake announced once all the girls had left.

His half brother closed the door to the choir room, and then replied, "Well, I ain't teaching you to rap, I'm only here cause I can get a free lunch from Hudson."

"So, what are we doing?" Sam was confused. He already knew how to rap, of course, but he didn't want to be wasting time. Jean Baptiste had already rubbed him the wrong way, so he wanted to do anything in his power to destroy Vocal Adrenaline.

"We're gonna try and rap," with emphasis on try, Puck continued, "and whoever can rap, gets to rap in the wrap up song this week."

"Wrap up song?" Jake chuckled, trying to ignore the bad pun.

"New Directions always do a song at the end of every assignment, just to see how much we've learnt," explained Artie. He's been in the club for 4 years, so he would know. The problem this time was that the assignment was a one-day assignment, unlike the full week they were usually given by Mr. Schuester.

"How do we prepare all that in one day?" questioned Ryder, who was met with nods of agreement around.

"As long as you have faith, for with God, nothing shall be impossible," no one in the room needed to question who said that, but Puck just immediately went with it.

"Exactly," Puck snapped at the devoted Christian, and then told the rest of the boys what song they'll be singing.

"Akon?" Jake complained, "This song is old man."

"And yet, girls think it's so sexy, they'll be all over you within seconds," Puck tapped Jake lightly on the head.

"I never heard this song before," Joe wondered.

"Did you even listen to songs?" asked Blaine, who, until that point had been pretty quiet about the assignment. He's been used to good reviews on his singing, so getting a few negative comments on his rapping at Regionals the year before had really taken a toll on him.

Then, Artie raised his hand up, "Puck, I already do a lot of rapping, I think I'm going to sit this one out."

"No. You're our best rapper, I need you to show this punks how to do it."

"But..."

"I think," Finn stood up from the back of the choir room to address them, everyone had already forgotten he was there, "Artie can sit this one out. We're trying to find new talent, anyway."

With a farewell and an explanation that he's going to join the girls, Finn took his leave.

"Right," whistled Puck, "Let's get to it then."

_Jake  
__When I see you  
I run out of words to say  
I wouldn't leave you  
'Cause you're that type of girl to make me stay_

_Puck and Ryder  
__I see the guys tryna' holla  
Girl I don't wanna bother you_

_Puck  
__'Cause you're independent and you got my attention_

"Joe, you're doing the first part of Offishall's," Puck ordered, pointing at Joe, before moving over to Jake, "You're taking the second."

_Ryder  
__You're so beautiful  
Beautiful_

_Joe  
__Kardinal told you  
Whether the sky blue or yellow  
This fella ain't that mellow  
If it ain't about you (you)  
Hourglass shape make the place go (oh)  
Waistline makes my soldier salute_

_Jake  
__I'mma brute (brute)  
High from your high heel game  
High heels push up ya ass last name  
And you livin' in the fast lane  
Eyes like an angel (goddess)  
Watch my yellin' as she undress_

After a few more lines of the other guys trying to rap, Puck stopped the music.

"Dude, that started getting good," complained Jake. The other boys chatter in response.

"You were getting good," Puck said, then pointed to Joe and said "So were you."

"Joe did a small rap in Some Nights, we know he was good," Blaine commented, which resulted in Puck scolding them for not telling him.

"How about me?" Ryder asked.

"No, yeah, you were bad." With that, Puck immediately moved on, completely unaware of how upset Ryder became.

With a pat on the back from Sam, Ryder shook it off and they continued experimenting with other rap songs.

**Glee**

As soon as Finn walked into the auditorium, the whole atmosphere changed. The scene of girls playfully doing erotic and sexy moves suddenly turned into a serious discussion.

"I think Sugar should at least try to rap," Tina pointed out, "Finn did say she was good."

"Finn's stupid, get over it," grunted Sugar, impatiently.

"Sugar, can I talk to you real quick?" Finn boomed, louder than he intended, and Sugar reluctantly obliged.

"Uh-oh, someone's in trouble," Brittany teased as she poked Sugar away.

As Sugar leaves, the discussion becomes more efficient. Brittany had approached this assignment in a cheerful way, telling the girls how fun rapping is.

"How exactly do you rap though," Aylin voiced out in concern, "I always get tongue tied."

"Then you'll be doing the singing," Brittany placed a hand on Aylin's head, "And you shall do the rapping." She placed her other hand on Tina, which was easy considering Tina's height.

"Flattering, but I've rapped before, so maybe you should let someone else try," Tina said, which was met with displeasure from Brittany. After telling Tina about respect, Brittany agreed with what Tina said and picked Unique to try instead.

"You've rapped before and it was horrible, so I guess we should give it to someone else," Brittany said all too cheerfully. Tina rolled her eyes and retreated into the background, but her head was clouded with doubt. She only did a small rap of a few lines, surely it couldn't have been all that bad.

"I thought it was okay," Kitty whispered in to her, which made her smile.

Brittany then suggested that they try Timber by Ke$ha and Pitbull, but this was met with a bit of resistance.

"How about we try a song that's rapped by a girl?" suggested Marley, who ever since seeing Ms. Sylvester performing Super Bass, had always wanted to try singing a Minaj song.

"Fancy!" Unique screamed out.

"No," Tina shook her head. She detested that song, and so did Brittany luckily.

"We should pick a fun song that everybody likes," Brittany announced, wide-eyed with excitement.

At the back of the auditorium stage, where Finn had led Sugar, discussions were way less dynamic.

"If you say how good I am one more time, I'm going to puke," Sugar declared, sitting down on one of the stereos after wiping the dust away.

"I'm not," Finn smiled, "Just going to point out that I think you're not being very honest with yourself."

Sugar gave him a confused look. She had always been honest, too honest, in fact, as stated by most people.

"I knew Tina when she first entered Glee Club," continued Finn, "she always refused songs and solo lines because she felt that she wasn't good at all. But she was fantastic, and Mr. Schuester knew it, and we all knew it."

"What does Tina have to do with me?" Sugar groaned, losing her patience.

"Point is, Tina wasn't confident in herself due to past experiences, so now she completely regrets not taking the opportunities for solos that she had in her first year."

"But she isn't good, she's not fantastic in any way," Sugar rolled her eyes. "And don't tell me I'm wrong again, because I know I'm right."

"Fine," Finn sighed, he was getting very tired with Sugar's endless resistance, "If you don't believe me, would you believe Brittany?"

"Of course, she's the smartest one here."

"Okay, so do a number with her and if she says you're good, you're good," Finn concluded and walked away, knowing that he had finally won the argument.

As Sugar went back to practice with the other girls, Bree walked into the auditorium doors. Just her presence alone caused the tension in the air to heighten.

"What the hell are you doing here, Bree?" Kitty voiced out from the front of the New Direction pack.

"Relax, Barbie, I'm here to get your teacher," Bree looked around the club. "Where's Jake, wouldn't have minded seeing his cute behind."

"Ignore her, Marley," Unique immediately grabbed hold of Marley's hand, "She's just a plain vile basic bitch."

But the comment had affected Marley beyond what she would have admitted.

"Hi Bree!" Brittany screamed out in excitement, and Bree waved back at her. Apparently, Brittany isn't aware of the bad blood between Bree and New Directions.

Finn came out from the backstage and then went up to Bree.

"Ms. Sylvester wants to see you."

"For what?" Finn's been making an effort to stay out of Sue's way since the end of Regionals, so he had no idea why Sue would want to speak to him. Either way, resisting would only make matters worse.

**Glee**

"What do you want?"

"Why so defensive, sugartits? I just want to talk," Sue got off the treadmill and head to her desk. Pulling out a drawer, the throws a file onto the wooden table.

"Am I suppose to guess what that is," Finn asked sarcastically.

"It's a study that shows that people who rap are more likely to commit crimes," Sue then pointed a finger at Finn, "And you, Finn Hudson, are polluting every one of those children in that club with dirty music."

Finn shook his head, Sue's antics can really be completely ridiculous. Her endless passion to interfere in New Directions' affairs has become increasingly annoying, especially since it's the fourth year.

"Mr. Schuester raps and he doesn't commit any crime, I think we're fine."

"His hair is a crime," she said, in a very serious tone.

"I don't care, Ms. Sylvester," Finn burst out, "We're just practicing a little rap, no one's going to start stabbing each other. So stop trying to interfere with one of the best clubs that McKinley has ever had."

Sue pursed her lips and uttered, "One of the best, don't make me laugh. You lost sectionals, so you listen to me now, Frankenteen. No more rap songs."

"If you really have a problem with rap songs, you can take it up to the board," Finn left without waiting for a reply. Dealing with Sue is the least of his worries now.

He walked back to the auditorium, where Puck and the boys had rejoined the girls, and the girls were on the stage performing.

_Sugar  
__None of them bitches ain't taking you  
Just tell 'em to make a U  
That's how it be  
I come first like debut_

_Brittany and Unique  
__Make sure that he's getting his share  
Make sure that his baby take care  
Make sure I'm on my toes, on my knees  
Keep him pleased, rub him down  
Be a lady and a freak_

_Aylin  
__Beating my drum like dum di di day  
I like the dirty rhythm you play  
I wanna hear you callin' my name  
Like, hey ma ma, mama, hey ma, mama_

"Wow, girls," Finn ran towards the stage, clapping, "that was awesome."

"I don't really like the song choice though," Marley muttered.

"Of course you don't, it's about sex and is full of vulgarities," Kitty folded her arms and twirled around to look at Finn. "Don't worry, we censored it though."

"What did Ms. Sylvester talk to you about?" Artie wheeled up behind Finn, having been carried onto stage by Sam and Ryder.

"She said she wanted us to stop rapping because it inspires murder."

"Maybe not that extreme," Marley laughed, "But it is pretty dark."

"Oh, screw her," piped up Blaine, "She's been messing with us for way too long. Besides, this assignment's to help Sugar."

"Definitely," Finn smiled, "So Sugar, how's rapping."

"Fine, it's awesome." She replied coolly, trying to sound less bitter than she is right now. She hates being proven wrong.

After a brief debriefing, Blaine reminded Finn that he still had a few minutes left with them. So, he took out a few lyric sheets and passed it around.

"Club Can't Handle Me? Oh we so definitely don't need lyrics for these," Aylin giggled, showing her excitement.

"Yeah, Mr. Hudson, we got this down," Ryder nodded in anticipation.

"Marley, you okay with this song?" Finn asked, and Marley nodded her head. Some songs can be too dark for her, and this whole assignment hasn't been the best for her, but a song like this, she can approve of.

"Alright, let's hit it."

_Brittany and Finn  
__You know I know how  
To make em stop and stare as I zone out  
The club can't even handle me right now  
Watchin' you watchin' me I go all out  
The club can't even handle me right now  
The club can't even handle me right now_

_Artie  
__Can't nothing handle me right now! I see you D. Guetta. Let's get 'em!_

_Sugar  
__I own the night and I don't need no help  
Gotta be the feeling that Scarface felt  
Stunting go wild can't handle this plan  
Life of the club arrogant like yeah!_

_Jake  
__Top like money so the girls just melt  
One too many all know me like Twelve  
Look like cash and they all just stare  
Bottles, models, standing on chairs_

_Jake and Sugar  
__Fall out cause that's the business  
All out it's so ridiculous  
Zone out so much attention  
Scream out I'm in the building  
Hey!_

With that, the birth of Rapper Sugar was complete. She was so excited of her new-found skills, she tried rapping the whole way home.

"Sugar," Kitty gritted her teeth, "Shut up."

* * *

**Author's Comments:  
**Thanks for the reviews you two :D I'm hoping to at least finish with x2 as many reviews as chapters. This is the longest chapter to date though! I guess because there's so many songs.

**Important News!: **Anyway, I made an edit on a Glee song, Seasons Of Love just now and it's on YouTube, it's structured in a way so all original New Direction members have a solo (and I sneaked a Frankenasian duet line in there too for myself), unfortunately Artie isn't in it cause Kevin never recorded the song. Link will be up in Chapter 3, thanks so much for still reading guys!

**Songs:  
**If You Could See Me Now by The Script sung by Finn and Sugar  
Love The Way You Lie by Eminem ft. Rihanna sung by Finn, Puck and Brittany  
Beautiful by Akon ft. Colby O'Donis and Kardinal Offishall sung by Puck, Jake, Ryder, Joe  
Hey Mama by David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack sung by Brittany, Aylin, Unique and Sugar  
Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida ft. David Guetta sung by Finn, Brittany, Jake, Artie, Joe, Sugar and Puck


	17. 17) Party House

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 17  
Party House  
**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Ryder, Sam, Michael and Nellie: As Nationals draw closer, Ryder requests for New Directions to have a day off at his house, but Sam is less than thrilled when he realised Ryder invited their Nationals rivals as well.  
Tina, Artie and Finn: Wanting to invite Finn to Ryder's party, Tina employs Artie to convince him to come, as she is afraid of doing so herself.  
Marley and Joe: As a final goodbye to their seniors before the Nationals competition is over, and graduation, they want to be remembered as their underclassmen.

* * *

Rehearsals draw close to the end as New Directions finished practicing their 3 songs over and over and over. More Than A Feeling, America, and the newly added Pyramid, which Finn thought would be good since Sugar will get a part to play.

"Artie, Sugar and Joe, you're taking Iyaz's parts," Finn had explained, "Artie, sorry man, you're our best rapper so you're out of 'America'."

"It's barely a rap, Finn, even Kitty could handle it," Artie replied, earning him a slap on the back from his girlfriend.

By the end of it, everyone was exhausted. They piled out of the choir room, except for Ryder.

"Finn," he called out, tapping the giant teenager on the back.

"What's up, man?" Finn turned around to face Ryder. He had been pretty worried about last minute feedback from the members of New Directions. Being vocal, he had already reminded them that should they have any issues with the setlist and choreography, they should bring it up immediately. Yet, Sugar had only brought up her dislike for the dress colours the day before.

"I was just wondering," Ryder bit his lips, he wasn't exactly sure how Finn would take his suggestion, "If we could have a day off?"

They had been practicing non-stop for the past two weeks. With just 5 days before they fly off to Los Angeles, at which they'll be practicing at as well, Ryder felt that they deserved a break.

"I was actually thinking the same thing," agreed Finn, "We can have the next two days off, have one more relaxing session, one more extreme session, and then we'll head to LA and do the lighting and music rehearsals on the stage there."

"Great!" Ryder exclaimed, "I'll go tell everyone then."

He then took out his phone and went to a chat group which Finn didn't recognise. Of course, he wasn't in the chat group. He was in one with all of them, but it was only natural that they had another one without him. They did the same thing with Mr. Schuester when they were all still in school. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little left out.

"Thanks, Mr. Hudson," Ryder smiled and dashed out of the choir room.

**Glee**

"So, how many people are we buying for?" Marley asked as they walked down the aisle of the supermarket.

Ryder picked up a bag of chips and examined the health facts, "About 14?"

"About?" Marley echoed, unconvinced. "Do you have an exact answer?"

"Sugar's out shopping with Brittany before Brittany has to go back to MIT, so she's out," Jake thought aloud.

"And Kitty's not feeling well," pointed out Marley.

"Actually, she said she'll come if she feels better," said Artie as Sam wheeled him past Marley, Jake and Ryder.

Joe appeared and placed some bottled drinks into the bag.

"Wait, hold up," Jake chuckled, "Seriously, these? You aren't getting any..."

"Of course no alcohol, Jake" Marley sighed as she pushed past the two boys. Some side of her feels relieved that she didn't have to put up with Jake's morals anymore. She has long made peace with their break-up, or so she thought. "Push that out of your mind, Marley" she said to herself.

After a comment from Jake that the party was going to be a bust, Ryder moved over to the next aisle, where Blaine and Aylin were.

"Blaine was thinking of getting some healthier choices," Aylin complained, but Blaine's reasoning was justified. This was possibly the worst time to get a sore throat.

"It'll be fine, we'll get snacks for everybody," Ryder walked down to another set of shelves.

At the other end of the supermarket, Joe and Marley were by the coolers.

"What about some ice-cream?" Joe dug his hand into the freezers and pulled out a box of vanilla flavoured ice-cream.

"Oh gosh, I love that brand!" Marley grabbed the tub from Joe and stared at it.

Just then Tina walked by and gave them the bad news, "No ice cream, guys, Finn's orders."

"Well, he isn't going to be there, so why should we care?" Unique said, walking up to the trio. "I say we eat all that we want for tonight."

"Hang on," Tina placed the tub of ice-cream that Marley was holding back into the freezer, "Finn's not coming?"

"I don't think so," Unique carefully worded her reply.

"Did Ryder not invite him?" confused, Tina went to find Ryder when the others didn't reply her.

"Did he?" Joe echoed her, to which Marley and Unique both shrugged their shoulders.

Unique then left to go look for more food.

"Joe, I've been thinking," Marley turned to Joe, who had already prepared to walk away, "This may be one of the last times we get to hang out with the seniors."

Joe nodded, "After this, it's going to be a hectic week to Nationals."

"And then it's their graduation the instant we come back," Marley continued, "So, why don't we dedicate something to them tonight?"

"You mean like singing songs?" Joe's eyes lit up. Marley had not been expecting that reply, because she was thinking of making cards for the seniors instead. But Joe's been used to expressing emotions through song, it was the first thing he did when he first entered the school anyway - singing with the God Squad.

"I guess that's one way to show appreciation," Marley chuckled, and then Joe proceeded to tell her all about Valentine's Day the year before, how they had so many orders to serenade those in school.

"Ryder!" Tina shrieked as she ran up to the football player.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Ryder, in panic.

"What? No, relax," Tina waved him off, "I just wanted to ask if you invited Finn to the party."

"Erm," Ryder bit his lips, expecting Tina to not like the reply he had in his mouth.

"But he's our friend! How could you leave him out like this?" Tina said, hurt.

"You're only saying that because you like him," Jake teased, standing behind Ryder, as if using him as a meat shield.

"Firstly, that conversation we had, Jake, was supposed to be private," Tina rolled her eyes. He's so much like his brother, she thought. But she of all people shouldn't be complaining, she was once known as McKinley's biggest gossip. "Secondly, for the record, I care if anyone's not coming, I spent the whole of this morning trying to convince Brittany and Sugar to come!"

"Oh," it was all Ryder could say.

"You can't blame him, Tina," Blaine said, showing up beside her. "They know Finn as a teacher, not a friend."

"But he's been so nice to them," Tina pursed her lips, then pointed to Ryder, "He helped you with your dyslexia, he helped you, Jake, and Marley with the whole break-up, and he was there for Unique too."

"I say we should invite him!" Marley announced, walking up towards them. The rest of the group had crowded together at this point. Tina had to lead them to the corner of the store so that they don't block the way.

"I don't know, Marley, I think it would be pretty awkward," Jake commented, to which Tina tried to rebut.

"He did seem like quite a party pooper at Rachel's party," Artie said, "He and Kurt didn't even bother drinking and at least Kurt was dancing around."

"He was being responsible," Tina muttered, "Look, I know how much it hurts when all you've done is be nice to people and then you're suddenly left out of everything. I don't want Finn to go through that as well."

"Nice?" Unique laughed, "You weren't very nice when Marley and I joined the club."

"That's because I was told that I would get my time to shine during my senior year and suddenly all these sophomores keep popping out and stealing the spotlight," Tina complained, through gritted teeth.

"Okay, I get it, Tina" Ryder laughed, "I'll go ask him."

"No, wait a minute," Jake pushed his friend aside and looked at Tina straight in the eye, "Why don't you go and invite him, since it's obviously not going to be awkward, right?"

Tina stared at him, wide-eyed. She completely regretted telling Jake about her situation with Finn. Everyone was staring at her now, expecting her to say something, but she couldn't.

"She will, rest assured," Blaine broke the silence, coming to her rescue.

"Right," Jake raised his eyebrows, "Let's go pay for the food then."

**Glee**

_Sam and Ryder  
__Oh lady, running down to the riptide  
Taken away to the dark side  
I wanna be your left hand man  
I love you when you're singing that song and  
I got a lump in my throat 'cause  
You're gonna sing the words wrong  
And I got a lump in my throat 'cause  
You're gonna sing the words wrong_

Ryder's house was packed at the early hour. The only ones who were yet to show up was Tina and Artie.

"Artie's out helping Tina with her so-called mission," Kitty explained.

"I hope he films the whole thing," joked Jake.

"You're being very mean to her, you know that," Blaine scolded, but he too was curious how the meeting would go.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"That must be them, I'll get it!" Sam dropped his guitar and bolted for the door before anyone could react. The next thing that happened shocked everyone.

"Ryder!" Sam called in alert, prompting Ryder to bolt to where he is.

There, at the door stood their rivals from Vocal Adrenaline, Michael and Nellie.

"Hey, Ryder," Michael waved, trying to ease the tension. Ryder greeted them with a smile and let them in.

Sam immediately grabbed hold of Ryder's shoulder, "What are you doing? They're the enemy!"

"They're my friends," Ryder scoffed, and then pushed his way back into the house.

Back inside, the reactions were mixed as well. Aylin jumped up in joy and hugged both Nellie and Michael, everyone else seemed tense or indifferent.

"Hold up," Unique stood up and walked towards them, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Ryder invited us," Nellie said quietly, hiding behind her brother.

"He said it'll be alright if we joined you guys," Michael smiled nervously. He was in a room with 9 people from a rival Glee club, and he has only ever had an exchange with two. Unlike the last time they came face to face with New Directions, they didn't have their whole show choir behind them.

Unique's interest turned to Ryder, studied his face then went back to take a seat. "If Ryder says it's fine, it's fine."

"Unique," Sam shrieked, "Are you kidding me?"

"My beef's with Jean, not these two," Unique pointed out, "They're freshmen, and they've done nothing to me, honey."

Unlike Sam, no one else seem deeply affected by their presence.

"Sure, they're our rivals, but they're nice," Blaine told to a disgruntled Sam.

"Ryder, can I talk to you?" Sam blurted out, ignoring his friend completely.

As Ryder went off to talk to Sam, the rest of New Directions started surrounding the twins and bombarding them with questions.

"How's Vocal Adrenaline like?" Marley asked.

"I heard you practice eighteen hours a day," commented Kitty.

"Is Jean dead yet?" Unique complained.

The moment Ryder stepped into the kitchen, Sam closed the door behind him.

"Dude, what the hell," Sam twisted around in disbelief.

"They're harmless," Ryder tried to justify himself, but Sam was having none of it.

"They are spies, they've come here to learn more about us," Sam urged, "Kick them out!"

"No! I invited them here."

"That's why it's your fault and you need to fix this."

Just then, Aylin walked into the kitchen, holding an empty bowl. She came here to refill the chips, but Sam had already stopped her from doing that.

"Tell him it's wrong, Aylin," Sam pressed.

"Michael and Nellie hate Vocal Adrenaline, Sam," explained the Muslim, "And they're our friends. They won't be a problem."

Sam was about to oppose but she wasn't done, "And Michael's really cute too." With that she took the bags of chips out and never returned.

"Look, Sam," Ryder cleared his throat, "I swear to you, they are friendly. If they ask anything about our setlist, you can shut it down immediately. Just let us have some fun, okay?"

"This is supposed to be a relaxing night for us," rebutted Sam, "Not them."

"They're rarely ever free from their trainings, and it's not like we can't have friends outside of New Directions," said an patient Ryder, "You seniors don't seem to ever hang out with people outside of glee club."

Ryder then headed out of the kitchen, with Sam hot on his tail. Upon entering the room, Sam could already see everyone interacting with the twins. Kitty, Blaine and Kitty were already taking pictures with Michael, and Marley and Joe had already cornered Nellie in a corner, asking her advice.

"What song should we choose?" Joe asked Nellie. She twitched nervously and scrolled through Marley's song choices. Disappointment was not something Nellie liked so she went into complete silence, deep in thought, for a few minutes.

"If you want something more upbeat, you can choose this one," Nellie pointed to the song 'Don't You Forget About Me' and then pointed to another song, "But this one if you want something more modern."

"I guess, it's kind of up to who you're singing to," she concluded.

"We'll go with the modern one then, thanks Nellie," Marley smiled, took back her phone and gave the uncomfortable girl a big hug.

"See Sam," Ryder sighed, "They like those two." He threw a cup at Sam so that he could pour himself a drink and then headed out to mingle.

**Glee**

"Come on, Finn," Artie said, moving himself forward, trying to avoid all of Puck and Finn's stuff on the floor. "We all want you there."

"That's such a lie, Artie," Finn threw his book onto the table, "Even I can tell."

"He just forgot to invite you, I swear," Artie pleaded, but Finn already made up his mind.

"Look, I know it's going to be a bit weird if the teacher appears at the party, so I don't want to poop all over your parade," Finn replied as he grabbed another book from the ground and began flipping through it, "It's your day off, go enjoy it."

"You don't have to be such a big baby about it."

"Big baby?" scoffed Finn, "This isn't about pride, Artie. Not everyone would want me at the party, so I'm being considerate to their feelings."

Artie was starting to lose his patience. God, why did I agree to do this for Tina, he thought. Kitty was already at Ryder's house, and so was everyone else. There seems no moving Finn, he seemed to have absorbed some of Rachel's stubbornness.

"I mean," Finn continued, knowing that Artie hasn't given up yet, "The games you guys are gonna play, like Spin the bottle or truth or dare or something, no one would want a teacher around when they play that."

"You're only a year older than us, Finn."

"Yeah, but to them, I'm a teacher."

Artie was just about to turn around and get out of the room when a noise made him halt.

"Tina, what are you doing here?"

The voice came from Puck, and evidently he had caught Tina waiting outside of the door.

"Shh," Tina's voice sounded flustered, "Shut up!"

"Oh damn," Artie muttered to himself.

Then, the door opens and Puck and Tina stood at the door.

"Brought you a present," Puck laughed at Finn, "Hey, Artie." He went onto his bed and lied down, then requested them to proceed with their business.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked, confused.

"Same reason Artie's here," she replied, looking helpless. She had not wanted to face Finn alone after their last meeting. Finn still had feelings for Rachel, but she still had feelings for Finn, and it doesn't seem to be going away. By the looks of it though, Finn may still have confusing feelings for her too. So at least she isn't the only one feeling completely lost.

"I'll wait outside," Artie coughed, motioning Puck to follow him out.

"No way, man, this will be gold," laughed Puck, but after seeing Tina's pissed off face, he left.

"For the record, Jake made me do this," Tina shook her head and sat down on a pile of books.

"I'm not going, Tina," Finn said, "I already told Artie why, you can just ask him."

"Okay, and I understand the reason too," she had been listening to the entire conversation from outside, "And I think you're right, it may make it very awkward for some of them."

Finn looked up to her, thanking her for understanding, but she wasn't nearly done.

"But I still need to address one more thing."

"Right," he sighed, "I know you want to talk about Rachel and I know I'm not completely over her yet."

"You punched Brody and then called her your future wife," Tina teased, and Finn laughed.

"That was months ago. We broke up way back too."

"That doesn't include your little fling with her at Mr. Schuester's wedding," Tina giggled, but upon seeing Finn's expression of shock, continued, "You can't just rent a hotel room, where the ceremony took place, without anyone seeing you."

Finn let out a small laugh, then turned to her, "I'm sorry, I'm still just sorting all this out. You said we'll eventually get over this."

"Maybe I've changed my mind," Tina whispered, but while barely audible to Finn, it was still heard.

"I hate being in this position, you know," he admitted, "It was the same thing with Quinn and Rachel when glee club first started. Confused, conflicted."

"Well so am I, Finn," Tina heaved out a heavy sigh, "We sang a song, and then we decided there was something there, then we sang another song, and we realise you're still in love with Rachel. What do we know now? Sing another song to get over this weird..."

"Let's not do that."

"Agreed," she smiled, "But, just help me out here, we still need some answers. When did this all start?"

"During Regionals," gulped Finn, "When I saw you performing, you just looked so graceful, yet so powerful."

"So, Regionals," Tina repeated, disappointed at the response.

"But my respect for you had been growing since the start," Finn continued, "When you joined the football team with the girls and then took that football and ran."

Tina laughed at the sheer memory. She had never realised how painful football was until that day.

"And then, you helped Rachel with her NYADA stuff, then made those amazing costumes and let her have the solo."

"You have that fountain in the mall to thank for that."

"I heard," Finn chuckled, "And then, that diva competition. You blew me away, and I just suddenly remembered the girl we all first met in New Directions. The one with the stutter who didn't know what she was good at."

Tina smiled and sat down beside him. "For me, it started after Grease." There was enough said. Tina's respect grew immensely for Finn after he had managed to pull off Grease. When he was still in New Directions, he couldn't dance at all, and she had little to no faith in him, but he still managed to do it. And he's been getting better every week.

After a moment of silence, Finn spoke out, "How about we go on one date," the suggestion pleased Tina, "One date after Nationals, we'll see how it goes."

"We're saying that phrase a lot lately," she laughed, but accepted the request.

"I'll head on to Ryder's, sure you don't want to come?"

He nodded and she headed for the door, and as she opened it, Puck fell onto her and Artie wheeled away in embarrassment.

**Glee**

"You do realise that eavesdropping is rude," Tina grunted as she and Artie made their way to Ryder's house.

After much talk about Tina's future date with Finn and Artie's complaint of being dragged into wasting his time, they finally arrived at Ryder's house.

_Aylin  
__Yo, I'm combin' through my hair like Stamos__  
__I got that devilish flow rock and roll no halo_

_Joe  
__We party rock yeah! that's the crew that I'm repping  
On a rise to the top no lead in our Zeppelin_

_Unique and Ryder  
__Party rock is in the house tonight (whoa)  
Everybody just have a good time (yeah)  
And we gonna make you lose your mind  
Everybody just have a good time_

The scene that greeted Artie and Tina was not one they expected. Everyone was playing spin the bottle and those who seemed uncomfortable with the idea, Marley and Joe specifically, seemed to be running around with their heads cut off.

_Nellie  
__Get up get down put your hands up to the sound  
Put your hands up to the sound  
Put your hands up to the sound_

"Hey hey hey, guys!" Marley shrieked out once she realised Tina and Artie had set foot into the room. "They're here!"

"One more round!" Michael screamed back in reply as he twirled the bottle onto the ground.

"It better not be me again," chocked Sam, who had almost kissed everyone playing.

Michael spun the bottle and while it looked like it would've landed on Sam, it landed at Nellie instead.

"Yeah, no way," Michael threw himself off the floor and told Marley to begin whatever she was doing while everyone at the circle burst out laughing.

The two newcomers wanted to ask what two Vocal Adrenaline members were doing here, but they decided to keep it to themselves instead.

"Okay, seniors," Marley announced, "Please take a seat on the couch."

She and Joe then cleared out all the magazines and chip crumbs from the seats so that the four seniors could sit.

"This is exciting," Sam smiled, sitting down. Despite all the chaos that he threw out when Michael and Nellie first arrived, Sam seemed to have mellowed down and had some fun.

"I think they've been preparing a song," Blaine uttered to Tina, "Joe and Marley's been running around all night to tell everyone."

"So," Marley twisted around after every other New Direction member had taken their places in a line. "This will be one of our last few times of celebration before we head off to Nationals. And it may also be our last time all together."

"Well, most of us anyway," Jake interrupted, and Marley nodded.

"I texted Sugar and she said she'll come," whispered Joe.

"I'm here!" Sugar screamed as she burst through the door, sliding past the couch and joining the formation.

It was only then did the seniors realise that Michael and Nellie had been standing behind them. Michael was filming, and Nellie was standing beside him awkwardly.

"Alright," Marley smiled with glee, "This performance is dedicated to all four of you."

_Marley  
__He said, "Let's get out of this town,  
Drive out of the city, away from the crowds."  
I thought heaven can't help me now.  
Nothing lasts forever, but this is gonna take me down_

_Kitty  
__He's so tall and handsome as hell_

_Kitty and Joe  
__He's so bad but he does it so well  
I can see the end as it begins  
My one condition is_

_Marley, Jake and Ryder  
__Say you'll remember me_

_Unique  
__Standing in a nice dress,  
Staring at the sunset, babe_

_Marley, Jake and Ryder  
__Red lips and rosy cheeks_

_Unique  
__Say you'll see me again  
Even if it's just in your  
Wildest dreams, ah-ha ohh,  
Wildest dreams, ah-ha ohh_

_Jake  
__You see me in hindsight  
Tangled up with you all night  
Burning it down_

_Kitty  
__Someday when you leave me  
I bet these memories  
Follow you around_

_Marley and Joe  
__Say you'll remember me  
Standing in a nice dress,  
Staring at the sunset, babe  
Red lips and rosy cheeks  
Say you'll see me again  
Even if it's just pretend_

After finishing the song, Tina furiously tried to stop herself from crying. Even Sam had a tear or two dripping down his face.

"Oh come here," Artie chuckled as the New Directions crowded in for a group hug.

"I don't ever want you to leave," Marley said, starting to tear up as well.

**Glee**

"Oh, Finn Hudson," Puck teased, "The boy that could."

"Shut up," moaned Finn, twisting around in bed, trying to sleep.

"You do know Tina's the only girl in New Directions I didn't totally bang."

"And that's something to boast about," chuckled Finn, "Plus, you didn't sleep with Rachel, you only dated her." He felt inclined to add the word 'briefly', but he didn't want to come off as the jealous type.

"Whatever man," Puck pulled his blanket over himself, "I just wish I could be there when you tell Rachel about this new date of yours. Chick's gonna freak out, it's gonna be golden."

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Longest chapter ever. I think I got too overboard with the group scene, and I wrote too much Frankenasian (then again, they were the whole reason I started this rewrite so... yeah). Let me know what you think :) BTW yeah Artie is the best rapper, I was wrong. But I kinda needed a reason for the boys to listen to Puck anyway.

**Songs:**  
Riptide by Vance Joy sung by Ryder and Sam  
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO sung by Ryder, Aylin, Michael, Nellie, Joe and Unique  
Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift sung by Joe, Marley, Kitty, Jake, Ryder and Unique


	18. 18) Carpe Diem

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 14  
Disposition**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Joe and Ryder: The two find a way to make Aylin more open with the club  
Aylin: She struggles with the decision to be vulnerable for once

* * *

_Marley  
Sweet disposition_  
_Never too soon_

_Jake  
__Oh, reckless abandon  
Like no one's watching you_

_Joe  
__A moment_

_Sugar  
__Of love_

_Unique  
__A dream_

_Kitty  
__A laugh_

_Jake  
__A kiss_

_Aylin  
__A cry_

_Ryder  
__Our rights_

_Marley  
__Our wrongs_

_Blaine  
__A moment of love_

_Tina, Artie and Sam  
__A dream  
A laugh_

_Blaine  
__A moment of love_

_Tina, Artie and Sam  
__A dream  
A laugh_

_Sam  
__So stay there_

"Stop," Blaine's voice echoed through the air, "stop, stop, stop."

"Blaine, what's wrong?" asked a puzzled Finn.

"It's the song, it just doesn't seem to have that," Blaine snapped his fingers, trying to get a word.

"Wow factor?" Artie butted in.

Blaine pointed at him and nodded. "Wow factor."

"That's just because you don't have a solo verse in it, right?" Unique scoffed, and a few heads nodded in agreement with him.

"No," Blaine chuckled, waving the comment off.

"Bitch, please." Kitty shook her head and wandered off. "If we're not going to use this song as our forth, I might as well just go home now."

Finn sighed and dismissed the club, praising them for their good work today. He then called for Blaine and Artie to see him.

"I'll meet you later," Artie whispered to Kitty before leaving her side.

And as if to take his place, Joe appeared right up beside her.

"What?"

"I was just wondering," Joe muttered, "Do you know anything about Aylin?"

"Why, are you having a crush on her?"

"No. She acted weirdly during the duets competition and I thought, as a club, we can help her."

Kitty seemed to have ignored the whole of his second sentence, saying "You know, usually people get flustered when I accuse them of liking someone."

Joe looked at her, confused. He felt that he didn't have any reason to be embarrassed so he didn't understand what Kitty was implying.

"You really need to get out more." Concluded Kitty, before adding "poor, weird soul" sympathetically under her breath.

She told Joe to go find Ryder, since he's been glued to Aylin ever since she came into the club and then took her leave. Joe politely thanked her before searching for Ryder.

"Ryder!" Joe called out as he ran towards the McKinley's new back liner.

"What is it, man?"

"I was wondering if Aylin is okay," Joe explained, "You're really close to her, right?"

"Don't worry about Aylin," Ryder smiled and patted Joe on the back. "I'll make sure she's alright."

"But, we're a club. New Directions always help each other when one is in need."

Ryder looked towards Joe, who looked uncharacteristically determined.

"So, you want to find out why she cried during our duet?"

Joe nodded.

"You're not the first to ask," Ryder chuckled.

"Do you know what troubles she might be facing? As a devoted member of New Directions, I think we should try our best to make her feel more welcomed and open."

"It sounds like you have a crush on her," Ryder teased.

"I don't" Joe replied with no emotion at all. His face was so blank that it gave Ryder the creeps.

Ryder slowly nodded and begin to wonder if he should tell Joe all he knew. He didn't know much, but anything would be useful. He wants to help Aylin too. Besides, Joe had helped convince Sugar to stay in New Directions when she was planning to leave. Heck, the guy even managed to rope the whole of the glee club to do that.

"Okay," Ryder groaned, "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anybody else unless she permits it, alright?"

"Did she tell you not to tell anybody else?"

"No. I made this call, it'll be horrible if everyone tried to help her at once. But, I only know a little bit and I guess it's safe to say," commented Ryder.

The two then walked down the hallway with Ryder telling Joe everything he could.

**Glee**

Aylin held her books tight against her chest as her legs rushed ahead. She flung her left arm forwards, shaking it to get the face of her watch in her sights.

"Damn it," she muttered as she zigzagged her way to the auditorium.

"Sorry, I was in the bathroom," Aylin announced as she pushed the doors open. But in there, all she saw was a huge circular bench with every member of New Directions present. "Is this for a new routine?"

"No," Ryder patted down on a space beside him, "Why don't you take a seat first?"

"Where'd you guys get this? It looks sick," Aylin beamed as she headed to where Ryder was.

All eyes were on her, but she didn't seem to even notice.

"You didn't tell her why she was here?" Marley whispered to Joe, who just shook his head.

Joe had told everyone to meet in the auditorium early to help Aylin out with her problem but it was Ryder who posted it in the New Directions Whatsapp group to get Aylin there. Without a phone, Joe was in the dark about what Aylin has been told.

"Well, are you going to tell her now?" urged Marley.

Jake chuckled nearby, "Give it a little time, I want to see her expression when she finds out something's wrong."

But before Joe could even consider that, Sugar piped up, "She doesn't even look sad, what are we doing this for?"

"Sugar!" Ryder snapped, shutting her up.

Aylin finally got the chance to look about, confused about what's going on. Every face she looked at reflected a rather sympathetic or downcast expression.

"This isn't an intervention is it?" Aylin laughed, trying to raise the spirits in the room. "I mean, this is all for me?"

She could feel her happy-go-lucky self slipping away as everyone's piercing stares locked onto her face.

"How can you not tell her?" scoffed Blaine, who was at the front seat shaking his head.

Aylin clenched her fists on the bench, which looked familiar to everyone but her. New Directions had used it in their performance of "Say" before and they thought it would be perfect to use for any future discussions.

Ryder leaned in to fill Aylin in on what was going on. With each word her jaw was dropping down lower and lower from her face.

"Look, Aylin, you don't have to be ashamed of your problems," Tina reassured her, "We've all got some baggage, but they disappear after a while."

"Just to be clear, we're not forcing you to share," Artie chuckled, trying to make Aylin feel at ease. "We just thought we should share some of our stories so you know you're not alone in this."

"Who is up first?" Ryder looked around the room as Marley raised up her hand.

Marley stood up from where she was standing and took a deep breath.

"In my last school, I didn't make any friends. It's not that I didn't try, of course. It's just that no one wants to be friends with the daughter of the big monstrous canteen lady. They didn't bother getting to know me, or my Mom. All they did was assume. And I was the laughing stalk of my whole school for the one year I was there. I was bullied, made fun of, called names and only during this year did I get a wet cold Slushie on my face,"

Most of the Glee club nodded in agreement. Everyone could empathise with the horrors of the ice.

"But I guess that's just culture shock. Every school has a different way to treat the outcast, right? No one wants to be seen with the girl who needs her Mom to knit her sweaters, who needs coupons for the canteen because she can't afford her own food."

With that, Marley sat down and Sugar rose up.

"Hi, I'm Sugar,"

She paused for a reply, but no one answer.

Ryder hissed at her, "Sugar, this isn't a support group."

"Is there a difference? Anyway, it's my turn for a stupid sob story that'll make you want to tell yours."

"Sugar!"

"Ryder, you're supposed to add 'hi' before that. Okay, moving on, to Sugar's spectacular story! When I was 7 and my mother left me, I felt that she didn't want me anymore. My Dad was always working so he barely had time to spend with me, his own daughter. Day after day, I felt completely alone in my mansion and I couldn't stand it anymore so one day, I just decided that I wanted to end it all."

Sugar paused and took out an apple from her bag. She held it tight and whispered something to it before looking up and staring at all of them with serious eyes.

"I tried to kill myself."

"What?" Aylin gasped, "How?"

"I threw myself in my ball pit and tried to suffocate myself."

By this time, most of the New Direction members had already turned away in embarrassment.

"Is that... possible?" Aylin turned towards Joe.

"I don't even know what a ball pit is."

Aylin looked around at the other members for answers and the suppressed emotions they hung on their face were obvious signs.

"Okay, who's next?" Ryder chimed.

One after another, the members of New Direction shared their story, except Sam, who felt that he was very lucky that he had nothing to share. And in the midst, Joe and Ryder sung a lovely rendition of "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran, much to Aylin's urging. She already knew they had a song prepared and she had wanted to get it over with. But by the time the last member had shared their story, the bell had rung and many of them had to go for class.

Aylin thanked them on their way out and stood alone in the auditorium. She walked towards the edge and gently sat down, reviewing and recalling the stories of her new friends.

"This is new," Aylin murmured to herself. It was the first time anyone really showed much real interest in her. Not in a romantic way like when she tries to get guys to, but in a friendly way. She never had real friends before, much like Marley and Joe. She had been a loner. But now when she has friends, she had been thinking of pushing them away.

_Aylin  
__No, I don't remember  
What brought us to this  
What places we blindly passed  
What turns we missed_

What Aylin didn't realise was that Ryder, Joe, Unique and Blaine had stayed back. They did not have any classes but have decided to move to the sidelines to see what Aylin would do.

_Aylin  
__'Cause I dont remember  
Love needles and the hay  
The life I knew by heart  
And lived every day  
The secret codes and signs  
You and I eye to eye  
Wake me up, hurt me, you have to  
I forgot how to cry_

"Then let us teach you," Unique urged, coming out of the shadows.

"It's okay to be a little bit sensitive," Blaine explained, stepping out with the others.

"Sensitive?" Aylin chocked on her laugh. "Sensitive got me bullied, Blaine."

"What exactly did they do?" Joe asked innocently. His face full of curiosity and sympathy.

"This," Aylin pointed directly to them, "is what I didn't want."

She wiped her eyes and stormed out of the auditorium. "Save me your pity," she croaked as she ran past Ryder.

**Glee**

"We need to find a way to bring her back," Ryder explained to Joe. It wasn't something Joe didn't know. But they had no idea how. Aylin is pissed, maybe they just need to leave her alone for a while.

"You two," Kitty walked up towards Ryder and Joe. "What did you do to Aylin?"

"Yeah, she's been crying in the toilet for an hour," Marley said, suddenly appearing behind Kitty.

Ryder had his mouth agape, but Joe simply replied, "You just left her there?"

"No, we're not so stupid and useless as friends," Kitty scolded, "Sam and Jake are with her now."

"In the girl's washroom?" Joe asked, shocked.

"Yes, 19th Century, that happens every time in this day and era."

"We should go help," exclaimed Ryder.

Kitty stopped him, telling him to back off since it was his fault that Aylin was upset in the first place.

"Kitty, stop," Aylin cried out from behind the girls.

Aylin walked up towards the quartet, with Sam and Jake trailing behind.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Aylin groaned, her usual confident demeanour completely gone. "I overreacted."

Joe and Ryder tried to comfort her, telling her that it wasn't.

"Guys," Sam called out, "Just hear her out, okay?"

Marley wrapped an arm around Aylin to comfort her.

"Look," Aylin sighed, "I'm just used to this. It's a different sort of attention I've been getting over the years."

"And," she continued, "I know you're all still wondering what my big problem is. Some of you might have already guessed that because I'm Muslim, I get a lot of shit from people. That's true, but that's not a big problem I have in my life. That's stopped, that's gone and I'm over it."

Joe and Ryder pressed in their lips and looked at each other.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that I'm this way not because people discriminated against my religion. That happens but I don't care. I rub it off like it's nothing because those people aren't worth it. But my Dad took it to heart, all the insults and all the pain."

"Your Dad?" Jake blurted out in shock.

"Yes, my Dad. My whole family kept telling him that it didn't matter but he got fired from his job because of it. Every day, he would tell us how miserable his day was. One day, I think he just couldn't take it anymore, so he..."

She didn't have to say anything for everyone to realise what happened. The group was met with an air of uncomfortable silence for a while before Aylin apologised for weighting them with her burdens and tried to walk away.

"No, don't," Joe stepped in front of her. "That's what we all are here for, we're here for you. And we know you're here for us too. That's how Glee club works."

"We've all got our baggage, but that doesn't mean we can't seek help to carry it," Kitty nudged Aylin playfully.

"Let us help you move on, we're your friends after all," Ryder smiled, warming up Aylin's heart.

She let out a small giggle and agreed, getting a hug from the group.

**Glee**

_Blaine__  
__Ooooo! I'll believe when the sky is burning_

_Jake__  
I'll believe when I see the view_

_Ryder__  
__I believe that I heard them say_

_Tina__  
"David won't you stop dreaming now?"_

_Artie__  
__And everybody clap your hands and shout_

_Kitty__  
And everybody clap your hands and shout_

_Unique and Joe  
__We are young, we are one  
Let us shine for what it's worth_

_Kitty and Sam__  
To your place, place, place  
We're on our way, way, way  
We're on our way, way, way  
We're on our way_

_Marley and Ryder  
__Hold me close  
We're losing time  
Hold me close  
We're falling to the ground_

"Oh wow, guys!" Finn exclaimed, "That was amazing."

The whole New Directions started cheering and laughing.

"Okay, so what do you guys think about using this song for Nationals?"

Aylin perked her hand up and answered, "I think we should use it as a closing number."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"It's not dance heavy or vocally impressive like all the other songs," Aylin continued explaining, "But it'll show everyone, and the judges, just how close we all are."

With that, she grabbed the arms of Joe and Ryder, who were standing beside her. And soon, everyone was joining hands and giggling.

"Hang on, I'm going to take a picture of this," Finn laughed, taking his phone out and asking them to pose handsomely.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Sorry, this took forever! I've been way too busy to care about this but I'll write when I have time :)

**Songs:  
**Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap sung by Blaine, Artie, Sam, Tina, Sugar, Joe, Jake, Ryder, Marley, Kitty, Unique and Aylin  
I See Fire by Ed Sheeran sung by Joe and Ryder  
No, I Don't Remember by Anna Ternheim sung by Aylin  
On Our Way by The Royal Concept sung by Blaine, Artie, Sam, Tina, Joe, Jake, Ryder, Marley, Kitty and Unique


	19. 19) Previously Unaired Christmas

**Glee S5 AU  
Episode 19  
Previously Unaired Christmas**

* * *

**Storylines:  
**Finn, Kurt and Rachel: Finn goes to New York to spend Christmas with Kurt and Rachel  
Sugar, Kitty and Joe: Sugar hosts a Christmas donation event and wants Joe and an unwilling Kitty to stage a nativity scene

* * *

**Note:** This episode is in continuity (supposedly) with Season 4 Episode 10, Glee Actually. And not with the current timeline.

**Glee**

The streets in New York City were plastered with lights. Red, green and white shone from every block, painting the city with the spirit of Christmas. It was no wonder that Kurt and Rachel's apartment was no difference. As soon as Finn had opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of music.

_Rachel, Kurt and Brody  
__Silent night, holy night!  
Son of God love's pure light.  
Radiant beams from Thy holy face  
With dawn of redeeming grace,  
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth  
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth_

As soon as they had finished, Rachel and Brody immediately started giggling and putting up ornaments on the tree they had, while Kurt plopped a tiny tree onto the middle of their dining table.

"Finn!" Kurt's eyes lit up as he walked through the door. He immediately ran up towards his step-brother and gave him a welcomed hug.

"Finn!" echoed Rachel, with less delight.

"I would've called, but this is actually quite unplanned," laughed Finn. He took off his jacket and threw it onto the coach. He had planned to visit with Burt later in the week, but his schedule couldn't permit that, so he had to make an early surprise.

"Don't worry," Kurt grabbed the nearest mug and headed to the sink, "I'll fix up something for you. Coffee or tea?"

"Tea, God," chuckled Finn, remembering the awful taste of coffee, "Definitely tea."

"What brings you here?" Rachel walked towards her ex-boyfriend. Brody quietly tailed behind her, giving silent acknowledgement towards Finn.

Finn pressed his lips together and gave a small shrug, "Just visiting my brother."

Alright a moment of tense silence, Kurt returned.

"Well, this really is a silent night," he joked, smiling sadly. He grabbed a nearby chair and settled down, placing his hands together on the table. "So, how's New Directions?"

"Tina gives us weekly updates, says you're not as bad a teacher as she thought," added Rachel.

"Tina's the Asian girl right," Brody whispered to Rachel.

"The one that used to stutter," she nodded.

"Yeah," Finn took a sip of the piping hot tea, to which Kurt quickly warned him not to, "They actually gave me this cute little bag thing."

"With the head?" laughed Kurt, who remembered the story that Tina had told them over the phone. Brittany's sense of cluelessness continued to intrigue him.

After an hour of catching up, and more tea, Brody decided to leave. He wasn't part of most of the conversation, anyway - most of which had centred around the glee club.

"See you tomorrow," Rachel kissed him goodnight. But the kiss lasted longer than the two brothers wanted to see.

"See you," Brody smiled as he parted lips, and took off into the city.

"You two doing well?" Finn couldn't help but ask. He had realised it was a mistake when Rachel hesitated to answer.

She took the pot of tea away and started on a fresh batch.

Finn, unsure if he was disappointed or not, continued to talk to Kurt about their parents. And slowly, the conversation turned towards Blaine. Finn didn't know how, but Kurt constantly brought him up time to time.

"I just feel that I miss him sometimes," by the look on Rachel's face, Finn could tell that she had been through this conversation multiple times.

"You can live life without a man, Kurt," Rachel grumbled, throwing herself down onto the coach and picking up a magazine.

"No, I get it," Finn said, "It's normal to miss someone after you break up."

Rachel shot him a cold stare, which slowly turned into a sad one. They had broken up many times, but this time, it felt permanent.

Suddenly, Kurt's phone rang and he excused himself to pick it up. Minutes later, he rushed back to the living room, took his coat and apologized for having to leave so early for work.

"You're spending the night, right?" Kurt asked, but proceeded out the door before an answer was given, prompting Finn to call out to him.

"There's an extra bed in Kurt's room," Rachel announced. The message was subtle, but the implication was there.

"I'll just sleep on the coach," he replied quietly.

Rachel glanced up from her magazine and stared at Finn, thoughts racing through her head.

"Rachel," he just began to say, before she immediately shot up and darted to the door.

"I forgot something," she stammered and then she was gone.

Finn turned back to the half-empty cup of tea in his hands. The warmth of the cup seem to be in strong contrast with the atmosphere of the empty apartment.

Finn  
So this is Xmas  
And what have you done  
Another year over  
And a new one just begun

He got up and started walking around the place. He didn't look around the last time, so never did he notice all the weird ornaments and plates they had lying around.

Finn  
And so this is Xmas  
I hope you have fun  
The near and the dear one  
The old and the young

Curious, he walked into Kurt's room, and the walls were adorned with red cloth and fancy decorations. Finn recognised some of them from the time Kurt decorated the basement when he first moved into the Hummel house.

Finn  
A very Merry Xmas  
And a happy New Year  
Let's hope it's a good one  
Without any fear

Unable to stop himself, he walked into Rachel's room as well. It was a lot more dull compared to Kurt's room, but because of that, it was slightly more spacious. The room as separated from the living room only by a single cloth, and that was almost all the fancy furniture Rachel had in the room. On her bedside table sat a picture of New Directions and the Nationals trophy they had won before they graduated. In the centre were Rachel and himself, proudly holding the trophy up above Artie's head.

"Glory days, huh," came Rachel's voice from behind him.

Finn swiveled around to look at her, nodding his head in agreement.

"Sometimes, I just wish it could go back to that," Rachel continued, "It was much simpler then." She briefly considered offering Finn to sleep in her room, to assure that there was no hard feelings over her previous comment, but an offer like that would seem too misleading.

"Me too," Finn muttered, before strolling out of the room.

**Glee**

The next morning, Finn arose to the sound of frying eggs.

"Merry Christmas Eve, sleepyhead," Kurt cheered as he turned over an egg.

Finn threw the sheets off of himself and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 9," came the reply, along with fresh eggs and hash. They were shaped like a snowman and Finn couldn't help but beam.

"Thought that would cheer you up," mused Kurt, "I'd imagine a rough night with you and Rachel alone. Can't imagine the awkward." Kurt shifted his mouth to the side, raising his eyebrows and giving Finn the usual look of terror.

It was fine actually, Finn had to admit. They talked a short while about Brody but quickly moved on to playing simple board games. Their time in high school was so centred around New Directions that they never really had the chance to do something more than show choir together. Besides making out, of course. Finn always had to throw that in there to keep the spark in their relationship.

"Morning!" Rachel swept out of her room, looking gleeful and bright.

Kurt immediately offered some eggs, and Rachel graciously accepted. She gingerly sat down beside Finn on the coach, helping him fold up the blankets.

"Sleep well?"

"Sound as a baby," he smiled.

"Oh," Kurt turned around to face the duo, "Are you heading back today? Rachel's heading out and I'm gonna be all alone."

"Actually, I'm heading back to Lima," answered Finn, "Got tons of stuff to do."

Kurt nodded dejectedly, he whipped up a plate for himself and sat down beside his brother. "This is literally the most relaxing Christmas Eve ever!"

"How come?" Rachel asked.

"No last minute shopping!" Kurt screamed out excitedly, "There's literally no one to buy for."

Though there was a genuine happiness to that comment, it just became plain sad seconds after it escaped his mouth.

"We actually did a Secret Santa thing before the break," Finn declared, referring to New Directions.

"Oh, that's fun," gasped Kurt, "Who'd you get?"

"Marley."

"Is that the girl who fainted on stage?" Rachel asked, to which Finn nodded. "What did you get her?"

"It better not have been a tabloid on healthy eating," Kurt commented sassily.

"I actually considered that," Finn laughed guiltily. After getting hit by Kurt by a magazine, he told them how he got her a white knitted sweater.

"What did you get then?" Rachel pried, "And who'd you get it from?"

"Tina," Finn said, taking out his phone and swiping through his pictures, "Got me this."

A picture of a pair of drumsticks flashed onto the screen. It had red stripes and yellow markings on it, and a cleverly adorned 'Finn' by the sides. Kurt gasped in wonder as he took the phone away to get a closer look.

"Well, you're lucky you got someone as quiet and observant as Tina," teased Rachel.

"Actually," Finn chuckled, "She's been quite the opposite this year."

Kurt nodded, "I can vouch for that, she was like a nightmare the first few days of school. She kind of reminded me of you."

Rachel gave a sarcastic laugh and look at her own phone, which was filled with messages about the upcoming holiday.

Ignoring her, Kurt continued, "Come to think of it, most of the seniors did change quite a bit this year. Must be the whole senior year cray cray."

"Really? I've only noticed Tina," befuddled, Finn asked Kurt for his opinion.

"Well, Brittany's getting more and more arrogant and diva-ish than before, it's like she's learning from Santana. Blaine and Sam seem unbearably attention-seeking. And Artie, well, he's still the same actually."

There was some truth to what Kurt was saying, but Finn knew that it was slightly blown out of proportion because of Blaine's infidelity. There definitely was some change in attitude this year for those 5, and then again, most of the students in his year suffered through the same old panic and desperation as well.

"Did you two hear Mr. Schues' cute song?" Rachel called out as she placed her phone back down onto the table. The two boys nodded as they have heard it a month before, when he had first sent it to them. But for some reason, Rachel had only just seen it.

"It's so cool," Rachel cheered, "It's like my original songs, but way cuter because he's singing with Ms. Pillsbury." She then looked up to them with sparkling eyes and suggested they sing their own rendition of it and send it back, since it was Christmas Eve after all.

Kurt declined, offering up Finn instead, "He's got the better voice for it." He then excused himself and headed to wash up the dishes.

"Come on!" Rachel grabbed Finn and placed her phone on a nearby shelf to record a video.

_Finn  
__I never saw a reindeer fly  
Make its way across the sky  
But I know if I close my eyes my wishes will come true  
Like the one I've saved for you_

_Finn and Rachel  
__Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow  
Don't care it's cold outside  
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow  
I'll keep you warm tonight  
Through the good times and bad  
Happy and sad,  
I'm still holding on  
I know what I have  
And all that I want is Christmas Eve with you_

"How romantic," Kurt teased from the sink, earning dirty looks from both Finn and Rachel.

"It's a completely platonic performance," deemed Rachel. "We should continue, video's still running."

**Glee**

Kitty and Artie waited at the side of the road, shivering and holding each other for warmth. They had been waiting for over 10 minutes, but the others were nowhere in sight.

"I swear if we have to go there without them, I will kill them," Kitty groaned.

"Sugar's not that bad," said Artie, "Once you get to know her."

"It's not Sugar," Kitty said, gritting her teeth, "It's being around all those rich people who will be judging what we are wearing."

Artie looked up at her, perplexed. She was wearing a striking golden dress and a puffy fur coat, she looked completely extraordinary.

"I was talking about you," she clarified. She wouldn't dare to admit it, but she had a soft spot for the boy in the wheelchair. To hide the fact, she had been trying her best to be as nasty to him as possible.

Just then, Ryder, Joe and Tina came waltzing down the path.

"About time," Kitty shouted across, when they happily waved to the couple.

"Ryder took forever," Tina explained, visibly annoyed.

"Well, come on then, best not keep Sugar waiting," Joe smirked and led them down towards Sugar Motta's house.

Throughout the whole journey, the five teenagers wondered how awkward it would be at the party. The whole place would be filled with the wealthy, like Sugar Motta herself, while they'll be the outcasted misfits.

"I say we just ditch it after 5 minutes and head to BreadStix," suggested Ryder. It was an idea that they toyed with for a while, but it never came to fruition.

As soon as they arrived at Sugar's house, they were all stunned with awe. Golden bright lights invaded the whole room and in the middle of the patio was a giant Christmas tree, hung with all sorts of heavy ornaments. Some, as Artie had noticed, even had the faces of the Motta family.

They heard a distant scream from the crowd and suddenly Sugar came running up behind them and gave them a big hug.

"Here's my friends who have nothing else to do for Christmas," she said cheerfully. Behind her, her father walked up towards them and introductions began.

"So, you're the one who loved my daughter," Al Motta pointed towards Artie, who became incredibly quiet.

Kitty and Ryder shot him a look of confusion and he said apologetically, "I mean, it wasn't love."

"It was just a small crush," Tina came to his rescue, much to his relief. But much to his dismay, casually added, "Probably because of the Valentines desperation."

"Oh, they have a nativity scene set up," Joe pointed out, before going to look at it alongside Ryder and Tina.

"I don't get what the big deal is," Kitty groaned, and in contrast to the other three, took her time to reach the set-up.

"Looks cute," commented Ryder, who had never seen one before.

"Christians!" Sugar screamed out from behind them. She hung an arm around Kitty, much to the latter's annoyance. Joe turned around to face her.

"The people we hired can't come today," she continued, "Apparently, they can't hold their eggnog."

Just then a man whom Ryder could only describe as a butler came over and offered Ryder some eggnog in a champagne glass.

"Take one for me too," Tina whispered to him, and he took multiple to pass down to his friends.

"Could you two do the nativity scene please? I mean, you're the only ones who ever read the Bible," gleamed Sugar. A man stood by her side, holding several costumes.

"No," Kitty quickly replied. She took a sip of her eggnog and started heading away before Joe called her back. In distinction, he seemed excited to do it. Then again, Joe seems excited about doing just about anything one can't do at home.

"It's embarrassing enough that I don't have as much jewellery as these people, I'm not going to parade around in drabs in a house like this," scowled Kitty.

She headed off into the crowd, presumably to mingle among the guests. Tina and Ryder shook their heads and decided to look around the colossal house as well.

"Artie," Sugar pleaded, "Could you take her place, please?"

"I am not going to be Virgin Mary," Artie held out his hand to stop her, "And you can't possibly do this with just two people."

"You and Tina and Ryder can help too!"

"That's just five people," Artie folded his arms and cocked his head, "If you join in as well..."

"Fine!" Sugar pouted, "Go get Kitty! I want this party to be fun."

"Radical," Joe whispered to Artie and the pair wheeled off to find the blonde cheerleader.

**Glee**

"Why would I care if Sugar's doing it too?" Kitty asked, perplexed and irritated.

"Because she's your friend," Joe suggested, an answer that Kitty found completely unsatisfying.

Artie pushed Joe aside and said, "Because the rich hostess of this rich little party is putting on the same 'drabs' as you are."

Kitty gave him a considering look, and then waved away the intent. "I don't even want to do it, anyway. It's stupid."

"But you said the last time that it was one of the things in your Christian bucket list," Joe innocently commented.

Before Artie could even ask what's the difference between an ordinary bucket list and a Christian bucket list, Kitty started bombarding Joe about how she was joking.

"You kind of want to do it though," Artie said, "I can see it in your eyes."

"I do not," Kitty waved a finger at him.

"Yes, you do."

"No, I definitely do not."

"Yes, I can see it in your eyes."

"No."

"Ye-"

"Stop it," Kitty screamed and pushed him away. Artie rolled his eyes and wheeled right back around into the sea of people.

"Are you sure?" Joe asked again, earning him a look of impatience from Kitty. "It's really fun, and no one would judge you for it here, since we're all together."

"Doesn't make it less embarrassing," she groaned.

"Quinn and Mercedes never thought of it as embarrassing, we just put it up for fun in school during the holidays last year."

"Quinn Fabray did a nativity scene?" Kitty asked, perking up her ears.

"Yeah," Joe lit up like a star, "She really loved it, and we had so much fun and-"

"Okay, I'm doing it," grabbing Joe by the arm, Kitty dragged him along to find Sugar.

A few minutes later, the six members from New Directions were all draped in cloth and were placed in the nativity scene. Just this changing of clothes had already caught the interest of a few guests.

"I look ridiculous," complained a whiny Sugar, but she had already agreed and since she was the one who convinced her father to put up the scene in the first place, it was befitting that she joined it.

_Joe and Ryder  
__Away in a manger  
No crib for his bed  
The little Lord Jesus  
Lay down his sweet head_

_Kitty  
__The stars in the sky  
Look down where he lay  
The little Lord Jesus  
Asleep on the hay_

"Where in Heavens is Jesus?" Kitty hissed to Sugar. Sugar immediately snapped at one of the butlers, who quickly threw her a bundled up curtain. It looked nothing like a baby, but it had to do.

_Kitty and Joe_  
_Be near me Lord Jesus  
I ask thee to stay  
Close by me forever  
And love me I pray  
Bless all the dear children  
In thy tender care  
And take us to Heaven  
To live with thee there_

The applause lingers for a while, and Sugar was ecstatic. She hugged and thank the five of them and proceeded to let them have dinner early.

"You get to snatch all the good food first," Sugar wailed in delight. "There's enough for everybody of course, but it'll be less crowded."

The dinner was not the type of sit-down dinner they were used to of course.

"This must be how rich people eat," Ryder wondered as he took some of the food onto his miniature plate.

And just as luck had it, as soon as they had eaten to their hearts' content, they received a text message from Marley.

"An emergency performance for Ms. Sylvester?" Joe gasped aloud.

"Sue?" Tina exclaimed, "Sue?!"

"Well, I'm not going, I have a party," Sugar said nonchalantly, before waving to the others goodbye.

"She says to wear complete white," Artie wriggled his nose, trying to think of what clothes he has.

"And it has to be winter wear," bemoaned Kitty, "She is so demanding."

**Glee**

"I thought you were in New York," Tina popped out from behind one of the trees that Finn had been staring at. It was quite unprecedented so he had to flinch for a second.

"Sorry," he chuckled, "Nah, I've got a lot of stuff to do here. Besides, Dad's going to visit Kurt along with Blaine and I really don't want to be there for that."

"Must have been awkward enough with Rachel," Tina teased. She touched the cardigan that Finn was wearing and rubbed it between her fingers. "I love this material," she laughed.

There was a small pause and they stared at each other, smiling.

"Come on, woman," Artie called out from behind Tina, "Marley's getting started."

The three then made their way towards centre stage where Marley was, and she directed them to go towards the piano, where Joe, Ryder and Kitty were already waiting.

"This whole set-up looks really familiar," Finn commented.

"I think Rachel was the one who ordered it," Artie answer, which prompted Finn to recall her performance on the auditorium stage during that one winter day.

In the audience, Marley's mom and Sue Sylvester sat.

_Marley  
__Have yourself a merry little Christmas  
Let your heart be light  
From now on our troubles will be out of sight  
Here we are as in olden days  
Happy golden days of yore_

Suddenly, fake snow starts falling from the ceiling. Finn looked up and saw Becky Jackson gleefully smiling back. Kitty and Joe shared a look of shock before she leapt into his arms and, together with Tina, they twirled around in the snow, laughing.

_Marley  
__Faithful friends who are dear to us  
Gather near to us once more_

By Marley's beckoning, the group huddled into the centre of the stage.

_Marley_  
_Through the years we all will be together  
If the fates allow  
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough_

"I love this song," Tina said aloud, and Artie nodded in agreement. Finn stopped and took a look to his left, seeing the row of people in white and smiled. The days had really felt like Christmas to him.

_Marley_  
_And have yourself a merry little Christmas now_

(line)

**Author's Comments: **I was supposed to post this on Christmas but I totally forgot until now, whoops. Finally going to advance the story by bringing this to L.A. in the next chapter. As usual, if you could, please leave a comment! Thank you :D

**Songs:  
**Silent Night by Elvis Presley sung by Rachel, Kurt and Brody  
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon sung by Finn  
Away In A Manger sung by Kitty, Joe and Ryder  
Christmas Eve With You by Glee sung by Rachel and Finn  
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland sung by Marley


End file.
